Duality
by BuildMeUpButtercup-x
Summary: The opposition or contrast between two aspects of something. B/A.
1. Chapter 1

**disclaimer: I dont own anything**

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"Tell us all you know about Liam O'Connor!"

Buffy flicked her eyes upon the man sitting across from her; she blinked her eyes heavily to get rid of the sleep that was in them. It had been a _long _day. She wriggled in her seat then arched her back to crack the bones in her spine that had become stiff from being hunched over since the early hours of the morning.

"Angelus…" the man locked eyes with her in question "he goes by Angelus" his eyes turned stony, the look on his face told her that he didn't care what he would like to be called. Buffy watched as the Police Officer switched on the camcorder to record their interview.

"Where shall I begin?"

The officer sat up in his street then looked across to the two-way mirror to nod at his partner who was watching the interview from the other room "Let's start from the start, shall we?!" he saw as the blonde nodded her head then sighed.

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Buffy ran the red lipstick over her lips then pouted "You look fine… are we going to leave?" she looked over to her friend and rolled her eyes, of course she looked fine, she always did. She popped the lipstick back into her purse then smiled.

"Okay, so where are we going?"

Darla smirked at her "Oh, just the Grand Opening of _Vampyrr_" Buffy grinned back at her in excitement, there was hype for months about this club that was opening that evening, it was going to be the biggest club in LA.

She pulled her into a hug then took a picture of the both of them on her camera; this night was something she wanted to document "Let's get going!" she picked up her purse then pulled Buffy along as they headed for the cab that had honked from outside.

The journey to the club didn't take long and thankfully Darla had secured them guest tickets to the opening, so far the queue was all way down and around the block. They headed straight for the door, flashing their tickets then heading straight inside.

Buffy made a B-line straight for the bar to grab some drinks for them both, the interior of the place was modern, a large dance floor and stylish booths surrounded the perimeter of the room; and that was the first floor alone.

The bartender served them both drinks then they managed to find a booth that had been vacated not moments before "I can't believe you got us tickets for this! It's amazing" Darla raised her glass in a toast to Buffy before downing the contents.

The bass from the music vibrated its way down the foundation of the building, spurring people on that were dancing on the dance floor. It wasn't long before they abandoned their seats to join the crowd of people dancing away.

Darla tapped Buffy on the shoulder and leaned closer so she could hear her "Buffy, that's him…" she pointed towards the man she was talking about "That honey owns this club"

Buffy's eyes raked over his impressive form, the suit he was in was tailored to perfection, the shirt he wore pulled across the expanse of his back and clung to the muscles that lay underneath. When she reached his face she bit her lip; he was devilishly handsome "Who is he?!"

"That my dear is Liam O'Connor… he owns a couple of clubs out East, decided to set up one here in LA, thank the lord!" she let out a chuckle then bit her own lip at his beauty. They both couldn't hide the lust in their eyes as they ogled him, Buffy blushed furiously as his eyes made contact with hers, catching her in the act.

They both stood frozen on the spot as Liam made his way over towards them, he gently took Darla's hand in his own to kiss the top of it before doing the same with Buffy's, only his lips lingering a little longer on her skin "Ladies, enjoying yourselves?"

Darla smiled brightly and tipped her head to the side "Yeah, this place is incredible… I'm Darla" he nodded at her politely then fixed his gaze on the petite blond beside her, Darla cut in before either could say anything "This is Buffy… why don't you show us around?"

Buffy bit her lip as his gaze ran over her approvingly then extended his arm out to signal them to follow him, she bit back the jealousy that ran over her as Darla boldly linked her arm through his, draping herself off of him.

Liam showed them around the club then took them to the VIP section that had been roped off then gave them a glass of champagne that had been placed on the table before them. Darla crossed her legs over and leaned closer to him "So what brought you to LA?"

He topped up both of their champagne flutes then poured a drink himself "Just a different scene from back east… heard that LA was a great place to come to, best ladies around" he watched as Darla drank up another compliment then eyed up Buffy, she seemed like a tough one to crack.

"Buffy… having a good time?" he saw as she looked down shyly, when he saw them dancing earlier she had been bold and confident, yet now, she was like a wallflower, doing her best to avoid looking him directly in the eyes.

Buffy didn't know what had come over her, she was never one to be quiet, especially around men, she had a natural charm that they went for and was the life of the party. Right in this moment she was reduced to a quivering mess, she licked her lips "Yeah…"

His brown eyes bore right through her sending warmth to spread down her body, something in his gaze was sending her senses crazy. He took a hold of her hand and kissed it again "I have more rounds to do… see you later in the evening"

For a second it looked like he was pleading with her to meet him later but she didn't have long to think over it before Darla pushed in, taking all his focus away from her "Yeah, we'll see you later for sure" he kissed her hand politely too before leaving them in the VIP Section.

For the rest of the evening she couldn't see him anywhere, her eyes scanned over the mass of people on the dance floor and what she could see of the people on the second floor balcony. Darla hadn't shut up about him actually talking to them and how he had kissed _her _hand.

More people entered the exclusive section by one of the bouncers at the club; her mind was taken off of Liam as she was chatted up by one of the men that stood before her. He too was handsome but not in the same deep brooding way that Liam was, he had more of a _Platinum_ _Sid Vicious_ look to him.

"Fancy another drink, Love?" his blue eyes sparkled at her, she was finding it hard to resist his charms but found something about his bleach blonde locks amusing "Uh… Sure" he grabbed some wine out of the magnum and poured her a glass.

Buffy thanked him politely then almost choked on her drink as Liam came in sight from out of nowhere, looking dangerously at the Brit who had been keeping her company "Not trying to get Buffy here drunk, are you Spike?"

He stood up straight and raised his hands in peace "Wouldn't dream of such a thing, Angelus" he smirked over at Liam, then moved out of the way as he came over to Buffy and pulled her to her feet gently. Spike eyed him carefully then left them alone.

Liam ran his finger tips down the side of her face lightly "I'm glad you're still here Buffy" the way he said her name caused her stomach to flip in excitement. Her eyes closed as she leaned against his fingers, savouring the touch "Come with me?"

All she could do was nod, somewhere her words got lost. His hand rested on her lower back as he began to escort her from public eye, just like earlier Darla interrupted them again "Where are we going?" Liam suppressed a roll of the eyes before leading her out as well.

He escorted them through the club and through one of the private doors towards the back, the elevator headed upwards to the top floor of the building. Liam flicked on some lights to show that this was actually an apartment.

Darla looked around in amazement then out to the LA nightlife on the streets below "Wow, this is amazing… you live here?" she ran her fingers over the drapes then turned around to smirk at him, she couldn't believe how expensive this looked.

Liam used the remote to turn on the sound system so that there was some music playing lightly in the background, surprisingly the sound from the club a few floors below wasn't causing a disturbance "Yeah, sometimes… if I have a late night and can't get home"

Buffy took the glass of champagne that he handed her and sipped, his place was impressive, she watched as he sat down on the sofa eyeing her up then took another drink to hide her blush. Darla immediately went to his side and sat down close enough so they were touching.

When he flicked his fingers at her, on autopilot she walked over to the sofa at sat the other side of him. His arms rested upon the back so that his hands were resting on both of their shoulders; occasionally she felt his thumb rub circles on her skin.

The conversation mainly consisted of Darla and Angel, not that she didn't enjoy what they were discussing it was just that she couldn't get a word in edge wise. Darla was aggressive and headstrong, looking at the way she was fawning over him; she was dead-set on sleeping with him tonight.

Jealousy hit her again as her friends hand slid its way up his thigh then ran over his chest tugging at his shirt causing him to lean in to kiss her. Buffy squared off her jaw and looked away, she didn't get a chance to move far before his hand pulled her body flush against his and his mouth sunk down on hers.

His tongue forced its way inside her mouth to duel with hers, bringing her into a toe-curling kiss. Buffy let out a moan as his hand squeezed her ass as he leaned over to kiss Darla quickly, he leaned back as he pulled the both of them together, urging them on.

Buffy's heart sped up, she knew where he was going with this, Darla was her friend, a good friend but they had never done anything like _that_ before. Being the type of person she was, Darla smirked then grabbed Buffy's face to kiss her in front of him.

Liam's hands palmed both of their asses, feeling turned on by the erotic display in front of him. The older blond slid her hand down to cup Buffy's breast through her dress then squeeze it gently, producing a moan from her.

The girls turned their attention back on to him, Buffy trailed wet kisses up his neck as Darla began to unbutton his shirt to flick her tongue over his nipple. He growled deep in his throat at the sensation both of them were creating, he couldn't take the teasing anymore so he managed to pull both of them off of him then lead them to his bedroom.

Darla stripped his shirt off him as her lips worked on the back of his neck; his hands gripped Buffy's slim hips and pulled her ass flush against his groin as he took her in another deep kiss. Buffy lifted her arms above her head as he pulled the dress off of her.

Liam pushed Buffy onto the bed so she landed on her back then pulled Darla around to kiss her and remove her dress too. Buffy panted heavily, she was a little shocked with the force he had used to put her in this position but couldn't say anything as his fingers slid under her panties.

It didn't take long for Darla to undo his belt buckle and push his pants down till they pooled at his feet. Like he had done with the other, he pushed Darla onto the bed beside Buffy, he stalked them as if they were prey, he came onto the bed in between the two of them, stripping them of their underwear.

Buffy looked away from the pair in embarrassment, she had never been in this type of situation before and if it wasn't for the amount she had to drink and how much he had turned her on with his kiss then she would have left long before now.

She felt Darla's hand glide over her taut stomach then down between her legs like Liam had earlier, her eyes met Liam's and all she could do was moan. Whatever embarrassment she felt was being trumped by the raw emotion in his eyes.

Liam smirked at her as he pulled out of Darla and rolled onto his back and in one swift movement, pulled her off her back and impaled Buffy hard on him. One of his hands engulfed her waist, keeping up the punishing rhythm he had started as the other went to play with Darla.

She didn't know how long it had been, or how many different positions he had them in but once he finally came, the sun was beginning to rise in the distance. Liam fell asleep with Darla's head on his chest and one arm over her hips, his other arm lying across her own stomach.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy blinked open her eyes, she could tell that she hadn't been asleep for long, she looked over her shoulder to see the pair of them still deep in sleep. Slowly she crawled out from underneath his muscular arm and threw on her clothes hastily.

Doing her best not to make a noise, Buffy crept her way out of the bedroom and pressed the button for the elevator. Once inside she closed her eyes, she was never the type for one night stands or for threesomes as a matter of fact; she just had to leave.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews!**

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Buffy popped two painkillers out of the packet and downed them with a glass of water; it appeared that it was going to be day two of the hangover from hell. The day she skulked out of Liam's apartment above the club she lay low, even avoiding Darla.

To be fair Darla had only left one message that day telling her how she missed out on the best morning sex ever. Today she was back at work and no doubt wouldn't see Darla until the end of the week; it appeared that she was going to prey upon the absolutely delicious Liam.

She greeted her boss as she entered the ice cream parlour that she worked in before taking her place behind the counter. With it being an exceedingly warm day the place was packed, customer after customer; scoop after scoop it was never-ending.

When it came time for the last customer before her break she froze in place, standing in front of her was tall, dark and handsome from the other night "Uh… Liam, what are you doing here?" the way the side of his lips twitched into a smirk made her want to swoon.

He shrugged casually "Hot day… ice cream, sounded like a good idea" she saw him run his eyes over her in the tacky uniform she was wearing with amusement. There were many ice cream parlours in LA, there was a lot in the same area as the club; this one was a little out of the way for a chance meeting.

Buffy cleared her throat "what would you like?" she was rewarded another smirk then turned a deep shade of pink when he said he wanted her. Willow tapped her on the shoulder to relieve her of her duty for her break then stood in front of the freezers.

Liam swaggered his way down the counter and followed Buffy as she nodded at him to follow her through into the back of the shop. Even though the outfit she was wearing was horrible, she could pull it off; it clung to her in all the right places.

They stepped inside a small office at the back of the shop; brazenly he sat on top of the desk and folded his arm over his chest. He could see that she was nervous being around him, when his dark gaze stopped on her cleavage, she cleared her throat.

Before she could say anything he began to speak "You ran out yesterday morning, didn't say goodbye or anything, lover" Buffy frowned at the nickname, she didn't like the tone he was taking with her, it sounded like he was mocking her.

"I… I, what does it matter that I left, Liam?" he smirked at her then came closer to her, trapping her against the door between his arms. He leaned down so his mouth was close to her ear "Didn't you have a good time?"

Buffy blushed as she remembered all that they had done, sure she was embarrassed but she had to admit that it was one of the best nights she had ever had. He was spectacular "Uh…" she looked around the room then looked at him, unsure of how to answer the question.

She tried to shift out from his arms but his hands came down and came to rest upon her hips "See, Buff, there's something about you that I like… what do you say about going out to dinner with me, tonight, some place nice?"

"What about Darla?" she tried to keep the jealousy out of her voice, which she couldn't tell if she was successful or not; so far she hadn't heard any of the juicy details and she wanted to keep it like that.

Liam's hand ran around her back and down to cup her ass as he pulled her against him as he gave her a shallow thrust "What about her? I'm asking you" he leaned down to kiss her throat; he could feel her pulse thudding away below the skin.

Buffy stifled a moan, she didn't know why she was acting like a cat in heat but she didn't want him to stop the butterfly kisses he shed upon her neck "Say yes" he flashed her a fantastic smile that almost brought her to her knees and she nodded.

He gripped her chin between his forefinger and thumb so she was looking at him "Be ready for seven, lover" he didn't let her answer as he took her into a searing kiss "Wear something nice" he flashed her a smile again then left her alone in the office.

Buffy let the breath go that she didn't know she had been holding then bit the inside of her cheek. She always got attention from men but she had never met someone who was so direct and in charge with her, it unnerved her how defenceless she was to his charm.

She spent the remainder of her break trying to ease the flush in her cheeks and smooth out her uniform that he had creased with his hands. Looking at the clock she could see that there was less than four hours before she would be meeting him again; it then struck her that she didn't give him her address.

Oooooooooooooo

"What do you mean Liam is taking you out on a date?" the annoyance in Darla's tone was amusing, she was used to being the one out of the pair that got all the attention and was asked out on more dates; this was a first.

Buffy tapped on the phone for a second then smiled "He showed up at work and asked me out… I couldn't say no" she could have, but she didn't want to. It had been a while since she was on a date and knowing his tastes, she would be treated to something special.

She heard her friend huff "Well he was _okay, _not like I wanted a date anyway!" Buffy rolled her eyes then said goodbye. She put the finishing touches on her makeup then smiled; he was due to pick her up in ten minutes, that's if he even knew where he was going.

It was only a minute past seven but she began to sweat, she had already told Darla she was going out and had spent time getting ready, trying to ease the grasp the hangover had on her and it was all for nothing.

When she was ready to slip off the dress she heard a knock at the door, carefully she went over then opened it wide; Liam was smirking at her, looking like sin incarnate "Good Evening, lover" she stepped outside then locked the door.

Liam took her hand gently and kissed it in the same fashion he had the night they met "you look beautiful" all she could do was blush, she cleared her throat then ran her eyes over him "You're looking good too"

He done a half shrug as if to say that he knew how good looking he was before escorting her down to his car; like she had expected – sports car, sleek, fast and more than likely cost an absolute bomb. Like a gentleman he opened the door then closed it over behind her before getting in and setting off in the direction of where he was taking her.

She watched out at the streets as they headed in towards the centre of the city then stopped outside of an exclusive restaurant. Her mouth opened in shock, this was only a place the rich and famous came; after being on a waiting list for months on end.

Once again Liam escorted her in like a gentleman then they were led to a private booth, she saw as he tipped their waiter with a bundle of cash and he went away smiling. Liam accepted the wine that was placed in front of him and took a sip.

It had been bothering her since this afternoon at how he had found her, it wasn't a coincidence that he showed up in _her _work and somehow knew where she stayed "So Liam, how did you find me?" she took a sip of her own wine and waited.

He picked at an imaginary piece of lint then tossed it away; acting casual "I'm just good" he shrugged then fixed his gaze on her "You never answered _my_ question earlier" he didn't have to elaborate on what the question was, he knew she knew what one it was.

Buffy scoffed a little, she didn't know why he needed to know, surely that wasn't the first time that a girl had ran out on him; he seemed like the type of man that would run out on girls; nothing worse than being a hypocrite "Liam…"

"Call me Angelus" his eyes twinkled in the lighting from above their table, he may have looked sweet but she could see behind his pleasant mask that he was an overachiever who always got what he wanted.

"...I didn't want to wait around?" her response sounded weak even in her own ears but she couldn't think of anything else to say for her actions "Besides Darla was there" she raised her eyebrow to enforce her point.

The waiter interrupted them to ask for their order; she didn't even have a chance to look at the menu, not like it mattered Angelus has took the fancy leather-bound menu and handed it back to the waiter and ordered them both a three course meal.

She looked at him incredulously, she didn't want to let him know that his choice was impeccable but he was acting unabashed, like they had known each other for years "And as I said earlier Buff, there's something I like about _you_"

He saw her stutter out a response then close her lips in a tight line, there was something about her, something that he couldn't put his finger on but she was definitely intriguing him. It looked like he would have to soften her up a bit, usually females would be begging at his feet by now.

"Your name was on the guest list Miss Summers, I didn't happen to catch your number and I wanted to see you again… I know people who are good at finding things" this time his smile was genuine and friendly, nothing behind it. Besides, what he said was true.

Buffy took a sip of her wine then thanked the waiter as their first course was placed in front of them, she took a few bites then looked back at him, he was waiting patiently on her responding to him "I did have a good time, it's just… I'm not _usually _that type of girl"

Angelus processed the information, at the time she seemed like she was up for anything, hell she wasn't exactly reserved in the bedroom; if he wanted to see her again it looked like he would have to put in some effort with her.

"Understandable, you want to protect yourself, don't want to end up being hurt, right?" his dark chocolate eyes were warm and kind on hers, he saw her purse her lips together before accepting his statement.

He done his best to keep the conversation light hearted without giving away too much information, he had itching to get to know her, but he wasn't going to be so stupid to tell her everything; that was far too dangerous.

Buffy relaxed more as the evening went on, looking past his appearance she could see why females wanted to get to know him. Beyond the bravado he played she caught specks of his genuine personality, he was definitely a charmer.

Once they finished their dessert and paid the bill, Angelus escorted her back out to his car. He wanted nothing more than to drive to his apartment and let her ride him hard but he knew she would decline; she had depth.

They stopped outside of Buffy's apartment block and he switched off his engine, from the shine off of the moon he could see her rigid form "I had a good time Buffy" he stroked her arm softly then laced his fingers through hers to kiss them.

Buffy loosened up then smiled lightly, he was an expert at alluring her senses "I had a good time too" she saw his pupils dilate, the same way they had as he escorted her to his bedroom on Saturday night and knew he wanted more.

Angelus leaned over and kissed her gently "I'd like to see you again?" his voice was soft, slightly muffled as his lips were only a few millimetres away from hers. He closed the gap and kissed her again, doing his best for his tongue not to plunder its way inside her mouth.

When he pulled back she bit her lip, everything screamed at her to say no. There was danger in his aura but for some reason she couldn't come up with an excuse to decline "I'd like that too" he ran his thumb over her lip and smirked.

"I'll give you a call Miss Summers" his eyes sparkled impishly at her, she hadn't given him her number but it wouldn't be that hard to gain that information. His source was good. Buffy rolled her eyes playfully then waved him goodbye as she left the car and entered her home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews!**

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Buffy wrapped her fluffy housecoat around her then sat on the sofa with a hot cocoa, Darla had been over from early that morning and had wanted all the details from her date with Angelus a couple of days ago "For the last time; nothing happened!"

Darla scoffed "Be serious, how could nothing have happened?" her jaw squared as Buffy shrugged her shoulders, she was doing her best to hide the green eyed monster that was threatening to show its face "Buffy, he was amazing; how could you not sleep with him again?!"

She took a sip of her hot cocoa then sighed "Darl' you know I'm not that type of girl, I'm still a little ashamed that it happened in the first place!" she looked down to the ground in shame, women who slept around and made a name for themselves were always talked about badly; she didn't want that to be her.

"Buffy, it's not the end of the world that you had sex with a guy you weren't dating… people do that, have one night stands you know" for her she didn't care what people thought about her, she was a sexually demanding woman who knew how to use her body to her advantage.

Buffy thought for a moment "I know, but I don't want hurt" she frowned as she remembered her last boyfriend, she thought they were madly in love; turns out he was sleeping with not one, but two other woman behind her back. It hurt her.

"How can you get hurt if you don't let him in? I know you have this picturesque image of what love looks like; but honey, it never works like that; this is life" Darla raised her eyebrow to emphasise the point, Buffy was a romantic; one drawn away from reality.

Buffy wrapped her housecoat tighter around her, as if to keep Darla's words away from her, deep down she knew that Darla was speaking the truth; but she had always fantasised of having the perfect relationship and the perfect life.

Darla flicked her hair "Well I'll leave you to sulk, I however have plans, ciao!" she ran her hand over Buffy's hair soothingly then waved as she left. Once the door clicked shut Buffy sighed loudly, her mind was in turmoil.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when her phone rang loudly "Hello?" her stomach clenched in excitement when she heard his sultry drawl down the phone; it looked like he had no problem in procuring her number after all.

"Hello lover, miss me?" she chuckled a little then said no to annoy him, she heard him groan in mock anger then chuckle himself "Friday night, I'll pick you up around Eight?" Buffy flicked her eyes skywards; it appeared she had no say in the matter.

"I'll see you then, Angelus" he whispered seductively that he couldn't wait to see her then hung up the phone. She bit her lip then let out a shriek of excitement, she hadn't been this thrilled since she had met her music idol when she was a teenager.

Oooooooooooooo

He lit up a cigarette and took a deep draw of it "So…" he looked over to his friend and smirked "What is it about Miss Summers that has piqued your interest? More than one date, must be serious?"

Angelus rolled up a paper note then inhaled the line of coke that was on the table in front of him, he ungraciously wiped at his nose then smirked "See Spikey, hot body like that, the way she rode me, I'm hooked" he leaned back against the leather sofa and groaned.

He wasn't sure why he had asked her out again, previous women were invited out for dinner, took to his bed then cast off once he had his fill. The night he first saw her she was beautiful, her friend was too but not in the same capacity.

When she was reserved and rebound his advances, she intrigued him even more; no one ever turned him down. Spike looked over at his friend and chuckled, this was a first, him chasing females, it was an anomaly; usually they were falling at his feet.

"Mr O'Connor, you have a guest" Angelus opened his eyes and grinned, his _advisor_ of sorts Wesley, had just brought in his latest purchase; a night with the talented Cordelia Chase. Cordelia swung her ass from side to side as she walked over to him then sat astride his hips to kiss him.

Spike sighed heavily; guess that was his queue to leave "See ya later mate" he didn't wait for a response because he knew that he wouldn't receive one. Angelus had already stripped her of her panties and had his fingers deep inside of her.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy sat heavily on the seat in the break room at work, once again the place was packed; once the schools went back then the place would hopefully calm down. She picked up a magazine just idly flipping through the pages until she landed on an article about Angelus.

It was of fashion show that he had attended two days before and made a fool of himself, in the pictures he looked like he was forgone the stage of being drunk and looked a riot. The article described how he was carrying on his party ways from living back east.

Also it showed a gorgeous brunette with incredibly long legs hanging off of him, apparently in the same state as him. She frowned as she looked at the page; it screamed that he was a playboy, only wanting to party and screw his way through the socialites of the City of Angels.

It was obvious that he wouldn't find it hard to attract the opposite sex and his domineering persona would be dangerous even to the strong willed; she herself had firsthand experience on what he could make her do without saying anything.

Their date was tonight, she still had no idea of what the plans were; for a second she thought about cancelling in jealousy but couldn't. Remembering what Darla had said, she wouldn't get hurt if she didn't let him in, that would be her mantra.

Willow walked in to join her once the place quietened down "What's wrong Buffy?" she pulled the magazine out from under Buffy's fingers and spun it so she could see what was upsetting her co-worker "Liam O'Connor? Isn't he dreamy!"

Buffy smiled "Yeah, he is" the only person she had told of her past and future date was Darla, she didn't want too many people to know in case it didn't go anywhere, also that she didn't want to be the centre of gossip "Well I better get back out!"

The red head waved her hand at Buffy as she read the article based on her date for that evening. Buffy plastered a smile on her face as she worked the last portion of her shift, she was a little apprehensive but wondered if he would come clean about his actions.

Oooooooooooooo

Her mouth fell open as she unlocked the door to her apartment; sitting on the table was a massive bouquet of Lilies. She plucked the card from the elaborate display and smiled. _See you soon Gorgeous_. Her superintendant must have let the delivery man inside.

She put the card on the table then ran to the shower to get washed. She rushed through drying herself and her hair, luckily her hair had turned out in beach like waves and not a birds nest then took her time applying her makeup; simple yet elegant.

Buffy slipped on the black figure hugging dress then smoothed out the creases; she turned slowly as she looked at her appearance in the mirror and smiled. It was often she done herself up for a date, apart from the last one with Angelus it had been a while.

The antique clock in the living room chimed as the hand struck eight, and on queue there was a knock at her door. Angelus kissed her pleasantly on the cheek as she greeted him "My, my looking even more beautiful, I didn't think that was possible"

Once again her cheeks flushed pink as she whispered her thanks; Angelus led her out to his car then set off in the direction of the inner city. When they reached their venue she looked at him in pleasant surprise "The ballet?"

Angelus looked at her seriously "Yes… the finesse, the talent; it is enjoyable… if you want we can go somewhere else?" he started to doubt his choice of activity until she shook her head then placed her hand on top of his arm.

"No, I love the ballet!" a smile twitched at his lips then he got out the car and took her arm in his as they walked inside. The look of awe on her beautiful face made him feel something strange inside; he knew where these feelings were leading… and that wasn't going to happen.

Their seats were in a private balcony with a fantastic view of the troupe, during the first half of the show he had slipped his hand across to hers and linked their fingers; wanting to make sure that they were touching, even just innocently.

They clapped as the curtain fell down during intermission then stepped out onto the main mezzanine for refreshment; Buffy accepted the glass of wine and sipped at it slowly. Angelus pleasantly greeted the members of high society that he knew as they came and went then mingled into the crowd.

Buffy excused herself and went to the restroom; she topped up her makeup then pouted as she applied a sheer layer of lipstick. So far she had been enjoying the evening, which went south as she came back out and spotted Angelus speaking to the same Brunette that he was pictured in the magazine.

"Angelus, who's your little friend?" her tone was slightly mocking, Buffy done her best to force a pleasant looking smile. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his warm body then looked down at her "This is Buffy… Buffy this is Cordelia, a friend of mine"

"Charmed" her sardonic tone continued as she eyed her up and down then looked away, not interested in the least with her. Buffy took a sip of her drink to remain composed, she had met girls like that before and she would love to slap them around.

Angelus tugged her as he began the walk back to their balcony; he felt through her posture that Cordy had struck a nerve. Social skills were never her strong suit. During the second half of the show Buffy put as much space as she could between them and avoiding holding his hand.

The show ended and they drove home in silence, the way she was acting it irked him more than he would have liked it too. Although she tried to walk quickly, his long strides meant that he had bypassed her and blocked her way into her apartment.

"What's wrong?" he tipped her head up so he could look into her eyes, behind the deep green pools he saw her insecurity. Usually the insecure ones were easy but not her, she also wanted to remain independent and strong "If it's about Cordelia, she acts like that with everyone Buff"

Buffy looked down at his hand that was tipping her chin up then back into his eyes "She didn't seem too happy that I was with you" hearing her words back to herself she sounded like a jealous little girl, she wanted to cringe badly.

He ran his thumb over her lip gently "She's nothing to worry about" he pressed his lips to her for a moment then pulled back when she sensed that she wasn't going to reciprocate. Her lip quivered for a moment but he let her go inside without saying anything else.

Angelus walked back to his car in a mood, the way she was acting, the way he was reacting to it; this wasn't what he was used to. Normally he would have blanked her a long time ago and went on to another woman, there weren't many who held his interest like Miss Summers did.


	4. Chapter 4

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* * *

Wesley slid a file across the table to his employer "Angel, all looks well this month, the club is going strong and uh your _other _venture is doing good too" he eyed him carefully, Angelus was never one to be on the straight and narrow; he disapproved on the latest numbskull idea he came up with.

Angel dug into his brunch, not bothering to respond to Wesley. The Englishman sighed "Miss Chase has contacted me again, to set up another meeting before she goes on vacation in Italy" he shook his head and Wesley smirked "Is the other exquisite woman taking up all your thoughts?"

After a pause he shrugged, truthfully she was. Buffy Summers was taking up every inch of his being and he didn't like it one bit. For starters, he didn't know much about her "Miss Summers seems lovely, are you going to see her again?"

Wesley let out a chuckle when Angel clattered the fork of off the plate, the petite blond was different to all of the other woman he had went out on a date with, had at the club or even just had at his for a night of passion; hopefully she would help him conform.

Angel glowered at his employee, Wes was like the older annoying brother that made a fool of himself at parties but he was efficient and was a true friend, even when he was at his lowest. He hadn't spoken to Buffy in over a week, after the ballet fiasco he had taken time to cool down.

Wes took a sip of his soda then filed away the papers from their meeting "I have a meeting to attend, on your behalf I might add… best do something useful with your time Angel" he shot his employer a mocking glare then left Angel alone.

He tapped his thumb off of the table in thought, since their last date he had went out, made a fool of himself and took home a delightful pair of twins; which in the morning he couldn't wait to get rid of rather than have another round with them.

Angel threw some cash on the table to pay for their meal and headed out, he was unsure if Buffy would be working or not so he tried the shop first. All he could see was the red head and the older woman who was the manager, so no luck.

He pulled up outside of the apartment block and remained in the seat for a moment, he felt like laughing at the predicament; here he was practically chasing a woman. Something he never done; he composed himself and headed towards her home.

Oooooooooooooo

"Wow, your depressed face is bringing me down, get over it Buff. You had a few dates and now he's not calling; what did you expect from a hotty like that if you weren't going to put out for him?"

Buffy shot a glare at her friend, Darla had been getting on her nerves ever since the night they had went to Vampyrr. Every word she said involving O'Connor was full of malice, Darla was always the jealous type but this was different, she was acting more of a bitch than usual "That's not…"

Darla cut her off with a vicious laugh "Don't dare say that he's not the reason for the pity party, it's pathetic Buff" most of the spite was down to the fact that Buffy had went out on dates with him, had the chance to sleep with him again and turned it down. She had tried looking out for him but was unsuccessful.

Buffy clenched her fist and tried to calm herself down; it wouldn't be long before Darla would be on the receiving end of a right hook. She could see the smirk on Darla's face as she was about to throw more barbs at her when there was a knock.

She stalked over to the door and yanked it open, to her surprise and horror Angel was standing at the door with a single white lily in his hand "Uh is this a bad time?" he looked between Buffy and Darla and knew that they were in the midst of an argument.

"No, come on in" Buffy walked back into the living-room and smirked back at Darla, the older blonde puffed up her hair and pouted as she walked over to Angel and ran her hand down his chest in greeting, relief flooded her when he stepped backwards to avoid her repeating the motion.

Darla looked at him incredulously then at Buffy, she shook her head then stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door. Angel raised his eyebrow at the door in question at Buffy, all she done was shake her head.

He made his way carefully over to her and held out the lily to her "I came by to apologise…" he left the statement open and gave her an innocent smile. Buffy took the lily from him and smiled, never would she ever expect him to come here and say sorry of all things.

Angel placed his palm on her cheek as he leaned down and kissed her delicately; when she kissed him back he pulled her against him and deepened the kiss. His tongue traced her lips before probing its way in slowly and massaging hers.

Buffy knew the danger of his touch, she could feel the familiar tingle work its way down her body, throwing caution to the wind she pulled away from him but placed her forehead on his chest. The deep rise and fall of his chest showed he was as caught up in the kiss as she was.

He ran his hand through her hair soothingly "I want to make it up to you, it's a nice day so why don't we go to the beach?!" His hands trailed up and down her back, the motion was that calming that she felt he would put her to sleep.

She licked her lips then nodded, she hadn't been to the beach in a while, besides the rough morning she had was something she wanted to get over. Buffy pulled out of his embrace then went into her bedroom to get changed and grab her beachwear.

Only a few minutes later she came out of her bedroom and motioned for him to leave, they made a quick stop at Angels for him to grab his trunks then headed off to the beach. They made the walk in silence down to the coast then spread out the towel on the sand to lie on.

Angel pulled off his top and jeans then lay back on his elbows, looking up at Buffy. She pulled her top off then shimmied out of her skirt; she must have felt his eyes eat up the display as she turned around looking at him mischievously.

Slowly she pushed the skirt down her thighs and let it fall in a pile at her feet then stepped out of it carefully. Although she was a little apprehensive about putting on a show for him, the way he stared at her gave her a new found confidence.

She ran her hand through her hair and arched her back, so he got a better look at her ass. Carefully she lay down on the towel beside him, he didn't waste long before sitting up and shaking the lotion at her. Without saying anything she carefully turned over and let him massage it into her skin.

The feel of her smooth skin soak up the lotion and the small moans coming from her was winding him up; he took a moment to think of off-putting images then continued the lather down her back and onto her thighs. All he wanted to do was be between them, making her scream.

"Thanks" Buffy peeked up at him then motioned for him to turn over. She got up on her knees then worked the lotion between her palms and rubbed circles into his back. She could feel the muscles under the skin and traced his intricate tattoo carefully, which somehow she hadn't noticed before now.

They settled against the towel and let the rays of sun bathe their skin. Buffy had to admit that even after him not speaking to her for a week, that she was willing to forgive him straight away, this was a good idea.

Throughout the afternoon they chatted long about mundane things and about his clubs and her life, she could see herself easily falling for him. Danger alarms were ringing, however with him being this sweet she didn't care.

After a while she went out to walk in the ocean letting her toes dig into the squidgy sand, when a big wave came in to the shore she squealed then giggled. He watched her from a foot or so away and loved the picture she created, she was beautiful.

As the sun began to set they packed up their belongings and headed for his car, Angel clicked on his seatbelt and faced her "Are you hungry? I could make some dinner" he started the engine and drove off in the direction of his house when she nodded.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel pulled in to the private car park at the back of the building and led them upstairs; she went to the bathroom to freshen up as he went into the kitchen to prepare their meal. Buffy sat at the dining table and watched him work, entranced by his movements.

He smirked at her then went back to preparing the food. It didn't take long to prepare and cook the ingredients, Buffy dug straight in and moaned in delight. She had never tasted anything so good "Wow" she needn't say anymore, her moans were enough.

Buffy finished off her food as did he; wanting to feel useful she washed the dishes and put them on the drying rack. They retreated into the living-room and sat on the sofa to watch a movie, as time went on she shuffled closer to him.

Angel put his arm around her and pulled her flush against his body for her head to rest against his chest, he had to admit that this was something he had missed doing. He hadn't watched a movie with a girl in a long time.

Once it was finished they sat in the same position talking quietly, Buffy leaned back so she could look at him "Why do you like to be called Angelus?" considering his name was Liam, she didn't know where he had pulled that out from.

"It's my name…" he smirked at her confused face "my official name is Angelus Liam O'Connor, it was a rough birth, didn't think I'd make it… so I was my mom's little Angel" he felt a bit embarrassed letting her know the full reasoning behind his name, he was surprised he actually had told her.

Buffy ran her hand up his palm and linked her fingers through his, pulling his closer to her "Angel… I like it" she smiled kindly at him, although she didn't know him that well, she could tell that was something that he only told a select few.

Seeing the vulnerability in his eyes struck a chord with her, she leaned closer and kissed his jaw then his mouth. She felt his arms enclose around her as they fell back onto the sofa, the kiss was leisurely, even innocent in a way but she felt the emotion behind it.

His hand ran up her calves and pulled them so she could wrap her legs around his waist; he got up from the sofa and stalked off to the bedroom, throwing both of them onto the bed hastily. Their kiss grew deeper and before long they were both moaning.

Buffy stiffened as she felt his hand go between their bodies and caress her upper thigh, although they had shared a moment earlier; she still wanted to stand by her morals and not just jump straight into bed with him. _Again._

Angel felt her go rigid so he leaned up on his elbows to look down at her, the emerald depths of her eyes were hypnotic; he could stare at them all night "What's wrong?" he saw her blush then look remorsefully at him.

"I uh…" she closed her eyes feeling silly at her emotions "…I'm sorry" she ducked her head down to avoid his direct gaze, when he rolled off of her she stifled a cry. She didn't want him to think she was leading him on, she wanted to be here but she wanted to go slow, although she felt she had no right to ask him that.

As she went to move from the bed Angel pulled her against his chest, hushing her "Hey, don't worry about it" he could feel her attempts at calming herself down so he ran his hand up and down her back "Buff… are you okay?"

She took a moment then looked at him, her eyes full of upset "…I don't want to get hurt, I know it sounds stupid but I don't… look I'll just go" she went to move again but his grasp on her was iron tight, not in a painful way but comforting.

"It's okay, stay here if you want to… I promise I'll behave" he gave her a playful grin, hoping that she wouldn't take it the wrong way. Thankfully she unsuccessfully tried to hide a smile; she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

Angel stripped down to his boxers and climbed underneath the covers, pulling along Buffy who had thrown on a spare shirt of his. They settled against each other comfortably, Buffy yawned once again then whispered "Thank you Angel"

"Night Buffy" he remained awake as her breathing evened out signalling that she had fallen asleep. He looked down at her innocent face and frowned, having a woman over and letting her snooze in his arms; it seemed foreign to him.

She let out a contented sigh in her sleep and pressed herself closer against him. He remained still thinking that he had woken her, when he felt her soft even breath against his chest he stroked her hair lightly. This was all new to him, deep down he was warming to the idea.


	5. Chapter 5

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* * *

Buffy marred her brow as she heard an incessant ringing from somewhere, she blinked open her eyes and looked over at Angel who was sitting on the edge of the bed speaking to whoever had just woken her out of her sleep.

Most of the conversation was on the other side of the phone, Angel only hmm'd at the caller, he then straightened his back and a ricochet of cracks went up his spine "Got It, I'll be there soon. Bye"

He looked over his shoulder to see Buffy propped up on one arm smiling at him "Hey, have a good sleep?" she nodded lightly then patted her hair, it had got tangled in her sleep and looked messy, she still looked spectacular despite this.

"Oh, a birds nest" she chuckled a bit then rolled onto her back as he came closer and kissed her lazily. She licked her lip when he pulled away, looking at him in question when he frowned; she hoped that she hadn't done something wrong.

"Sorry, but I have some work stuff to attend to…" he saw her face fall, if he had a choice then he would spend the morning in bed with her, maybe tease her to within an inch of her life then take her hard but unfortunately he couldn't.

"It's okay…" she looked down at the duvet, she didn't want to leave; internally she was cursing the caller that had convinced him to leave her. She got out of bed, taking off the shirt and placing it neatly on his bed before pulling her clothes on.

A quick freshen up in the bathroom then she was driven home, he pulled her into a kiss then smiled at her "I'll see you later Buff"

Buffy nodded, holding on to his shirt for a second longer, not wanting to break contact "See you later, Angel" she watched as he went back outside and then drove off to wherever he had to be.

Oooooooooooooo

Spike stood outside of the warehouse taking the last draw of the cigarette he had been puffing away on, he flicked it into a trough of water then walked towards Angel as he pulled up outside. The look on his face wasn't pleasant; he guessed he must have disturbed something.

"Sorry to call ya mate, but this was serious" they made their way into the warehouse and down to a group of men. Angel sent them all a lethal glare, Spike tipped his bleached head towards the man in the middle who was cowering and covered in blood.

"Seems like young Mr Mears here helped himself to your property Angelus" Spike glared at the young man then back at his friend. Angel looked between the two and smiled menacingly before circling around him.

"Is that true Warren? Did you take something that was mine?" the kid cowered even more in the spot he had taken when he was brought here, he looked at Angel pleadingly "Please?!" Angel laughed then helped Warren to stand up.

Warren sighed with relief; he thought he would have been in for it. Angel walked over to Spike and whispered to him "Warren?" he had started to walk away but stopped once his name was called, he turned to face Angel then screamed in pain.

Angel fired a bullet into each of his kneecaps, shattering them causing excruciating pain "Now, I don't like when people steal from me… I'm a generous guy, I'm honest; why would you do something like that huh?"

He stalked over to Warren and crouched down beside him, level with his tear soaked face "That was a warning, if I hear that you so much as look at another shipment or sample any of my supply, I promise that it will be so much worse"

Warren shook his head eagerly then Angel rumpled his hair condescendingly "Good boy" he straightened back up and handed back the gun to Spike, they both walked out of the warehouse and back to his car.

Oooooooooooooo

"Hi Angelus" he turned to the woman who had purred his name and smirked, it seemed he couldn't get his attention away from her. Darla leaned over the table giving him a perfect view of her cleavage "how have you been?"

Angel leaned back in the seat and signalled for her to join him "Good… you?" the blonde slipped into the booth across from him, her bare foot sliding slowly up his calf. He gave her a menacing glare to which she laughed.

"Even better now…" she accepted the martini that the waiter brought over from the bar and sipped it slowly "Want a drink?" Darla looked over to his dark calculating eyes and ran her tongue over her lips in an attempt to seduce him.

As her foot made its way past his thigh she grinned at the tension in his jaw. Angel counted slowly to three to calm down his hormones, it had been over a week since he'd been laid and was feeling it; holding off for someone wasn't the norm.

"Angel?" he turned around to see Buffy standing timidly at the side of the booth, her eyes wandered between him and Darla, then her lips set in a tight line. Darla rolled her eyes at the interruption and slipped her foot back into her stiletto.

"Don't worry princess, was just keeping him company" the older blonde got out of the booth and threw a sardonic glare at her friend. She ran her hand up his forearm "See you later, Angelus…" she walked away without looking at Buffy, her hips swaying from side to side.

Angel watched as she walked away from them, when he turned back to Buffy to see that she was growling at him. To ease the tension he got out of the booth to kiss her, she turned her head at the last moment so all he got was the side of her mouth.

Buffy got in the booth then took a large gulp of her drink, Angel got back in the other side and took her hand in his, he wanted to be annoyed but decided to play nice "Sorry about leaving this morning, I just couldn't get out of it"

She looked down at their interlocked hands and reluctantly smiled. Darla was a sore-spot, she was supposed to be her friend but looked like she was still in pursuit of him, they weren't official, hell she didn't even know how to classify what they had going on but it hurt.

He ran his thumb over the top of her hand then pulled it up to his mouth to kiss her skin "If you don't want to stay here we can always go elsewhere?" the tension in her shoulders eased then she shook her head.

"No that's okay, this place is nice" her smile was weak but genuine, she took another gulp of her drink to finish it off. Angel pointed to the glass and the bartender nodded and began pouring another for the both of them.

"Besides owning a nightclub, what else do you do during the day?" she peeked over her glass at him, may have been a silly question but she thought that would all be dealt with at night. Angel shrugged his shoulders casually; he wasn't going to tell her the truth.

"Some of the business gets dealt with during the day, I own a few places, not just clubs open at night… I like to keep busy" she smiled at his response then drank some more, feeling satisfied that she'd accepted the answer he steered the conversation in a different direction.

They remained in the club for over an hour, Angel done his best to sweeten her up. She didn't drink a lot but he could see her becoming more relaxed around him, it looked like she was over what happened earlier with her friend.

Buffy looked at the clock then down to her hands, she was having a good time with him and although it was only eight o'clock, she decided it was best to go home. Angel helped her out of the booth and they went outside to catch a taxi.

He caught her hand in his and pulled her flush against his body, his other hand traced down her face "Don't leave" internally he wanted to throw up at how pathetic he was being, practically begging her to stay with him; on the outside he gave her a dazzling smile.

She stared deep into his chocolate eyes, she could feel her resolve fading; maybe staying out a little bit longer wouldn't hurt. Angel took her lips gently to coax the response he wanted from her, his tongue traced her lips then eased its way inside.

Buffy melted against his body and wrapped her arms around his neck, his kiss sent sparks coursing throughout her body; she knew that she was hooked and couldn't say no "Okay" she rest her forehead against his to stare into his eyes again.

Angel smirked at the response then kissed her once more, a cab pulled up beside them and they got inside. Like a couple of teenagers they couldn't keep their hands off each other, he was finding it difficult not to take it further right there.

Thankfully the cab got to his apartment in record time, Angel threw the fare plus a tip at the driver and they headed inside. Buffy excused herself so she could go to the bathroom, she tidied her appearance, despite what she said before; if things went further tonight she wouldn't mind.

He was sitting on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in hand looking like sin incarnate, she couldn't help herself when she plucked the glass from him and sat in on the table then sat astride his lap. Angel smirked at her; he sat his hands on her hips and used all his will not to take over.

Buffy ate at his mouth hungrily as her fingers tugged at his hair, pulling his head backwards. Angel bit his lip as she trailed open mouth kisses down his neck then yanked open his shirt, popping a few buttons from her work.

He couldn't take much more of her grinding on top of him; he lifted her up as he stood so she could wrap her legs around him. He pushed her up against the wall of his bedroom hard, she bit his lip in retaliation and burst the skin.

Angel strode over to the bed and tossed her onto it; she bounced on the bed and giggled. He licked the split on his lip tasting the tang of blood and smirked; he loved being rough. He shouldered off his shirt and began working on his belt as Buffy pulled off her top.

Buffy yelped as he grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed and hastily stripped her of her jeans. The look in his eyes was dangerous, there was something behind those dark orbs that scared her but she couldn't look away.

His fingers worked on her quickly, bringing her up to her peak but stopped before she came. The frustration in her eyes caused him to chuckle; he brought her hand to his cock and instructed her to pump her hand up and down.

Angel let out a groan when she enveloped his member in her mouth, his hand gripped onto the back of her head willing her to go deeper. She nipped the skin on his thigh to reprimand him for being so demanding and glared up at him.

He picked her up with ease then spun around and fell back onto the bed, his tongue plundered her mouth and his fingers tweaked her nipples. Buffy moaned loudly, she didn't know how much more she could take then he slammed her hard onto him.

She was never one to be domineering so she let him set the pace as his hands engulfed her narrow hips, assisting her on riding him. The sight of her bouncing up and down on him was entrancing; he let his hands roam over her body when she was confident enough to keep up the pace he set.

Buffy arched her back and screamed out loud as she came, her body fell limply on top of his; her heart was beating rapidly. Angel pushed her off of him and got behind her, bringing her up on all fours and diving straight back in.

He slammed into her with a punishing force, Buffy bit her lip, the mix of pain and pleasure like this was new to her. He brought her up to her second peak rapidly then rode through her orgasm before grunting as he came inside of her.

Once again her body went limp and she fell flat on to her stomach, her head was swimming in pleasure and her vision went in and out of blurriness. Angel fell by her side panting heavily, he saw the red imprints of where his fingers had been grasping and felt proud that he'd marked her.

His head lolled to the side to stare at her, her hair was stuck to her damp forehead and her eyes were closed, the intense pleasure that masked her face showed that she'd enjoyed that as much as he had. She must have felt him stare at her so she smiled lazily at him.

Angel put his arm over his face and sighed; now that he'd had her again meant that he could move on and stop wasting time taking her out on dates. She did interest him, just not enough to keep him chasing after her like he was whipped – he didn't want to be that guy, no matter how much he felt it deep down.


	6. Chapter 6

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* * *

His patience was wearing thin, she could make or break the entire situation; being as close as she was to Angelus, surely she would know his deepest darkest secrets? If he got her to corroborate all the information they had, then it would mean a big promotion.

"This won't take long… she's been in there for hours, bound to break soon" he looked at his partner and smirked. Angelus was known to be a strong force, Buffy was nothing like him, she _would_ break and he would reap the benefits.

He came back into the interrogation room and threw down worn out magazines onto the table in front of her, he looked like he could barely contain his glee. The magazines were articles that had documented the behaviour of Angelus when he had been on nights out, looking less than angelic.

Buffy felt bile rise up when she looked over the picture of Cordelia crawling all over him, despite the fact he hadn't touched her since then it still irked her that the bitch still tried it on with him, knowing full well that he was taken.

"Well… you must have known something about his lifestyle, as you can see there has been many pictures taken with plenty of other woman" his keen eye was trying to pick up subtle changes in face but couldn't see any change -If he picked up on what could be a sore spot and exploit that, it may just push her over the edge.

"_Angelus_ likes to have a good time, as do most people… this was before we got together" she dismissed the magazine casually, for a while at the beginning she was still insecure that he was away with other woman when he wasn't with her but she never brought it up.

The officer clenched his teeth together, he wanted to rile her up and get her to spill whatever she knew about him, and fast "Being as you were supposedly the only one in his life, with him most of the time… didn't you know or see anything… suspicious, surely he let you in on his _secrets_?"

Buffy cracked a smile, sure they had shared a lot together but she didn't know every little detail about his life, just like she didn't let him know everything of hers, every person has at least that one thing they want to keep secret.

"Every person has things they don't want other people to know… I worked, he worked; we weren't together 100% of the time" The smile dropped from her face immediately as she stared down the officer, not liking the way he was directing the enquiry.

* * *

Angel tossed the used condom in the trash and strolled stark naked into the kitchen to get food. Whatever her name was in the bedroom with her also nameless friend, they could get their own food if they wanted to.

He took out some precooked chicken and ate it before downing the remains with some water. The day after he had slept with Buffy, she left for work and asked if she would see him soon, he lied and said that he'd call her; it had been five days and he still hadn't.

He fully believed that whatever type of obsession that he had with her would have ended after he got between her pretty little thighs again but it hadn't. He actually felt bad that he hadn't called her; even after going at it with the two dimwits in his room, he didn't feel satisfied.

Checking his phone he saw that Buffy hadn't left any messages either, he threw his phone back onto the kitchen counter and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower sorted him out; he led the two unnamed females out of his apartment then sat down on the sofa.

His leg shook with annoyance. He was annoyed at Buffy for not contacting him and most importantly he was annoyed at himself for being in deep with one pretty little blonde. He had never had a monogamous relationship before and didn't know if he was cut out for one.

He grabbed his phone and dialled her number; it rang and rang then went to voicemail. Looking at the clock he hoped that she was just in work and unable to answer, if she was avoiding him like he had tried to do with her, then he wouldn't be pleased.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy came out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her body, the second towel she had was being used to soak up some of the water from her hair. She glanced at her phone to check the notification and saw the missed call from Angel.

She pursed her lips in mixed emotion, she had began to think that he was blanking her again which upset her but then again he said he liked to be busy, so maybe he had a lot to do and that's why it took him so long to call.

Quickly she reached for the phone and redialled his number with bated breath, the phone rang a couple of times then he answered; his voice sounded relieved "Buffy, Hi" she smiled at hearing his voice then sat down on the seat in front of her dresser.

"Sorry I was in the shower when you called" the image of water droplets running down between her breasts excited him, he closed his eyes and imagined what else she would do being so naked.

"I'm taking you out to dinner – your choice, I'll pick you up at seven!" he didn't give her the option in case she said no. It was safer to demand, no one had ever said no if he didn't give them the chance to.

Buffy smiled and picked at the corner of the towel "Sounds nice Angel, I'll see you later" he said goodbye then hung up. Thankfully she wasn't working that day which gave her the chance to accept, she had missed him and was looking forward to seeing him again.

Oooooooooooooo

Finishing off his last repetition with the dumbbell, Angel looked past his reflection in the mirror to see Spike walk up to him looking determined. He re-racked the weights and pulled the earphone buds out so he could hear him speak.

Spike tipped his head in greeting "Thought I'd find you here… had a call from Cordelia, bit pissed that you've not called her or returned her calls in weeks" he smirked when Angel rolled his eyes then gulped down water from his bottle.

"That's not just why I'm here, just thought I'd mention it… party tonight at Drusilla's and Cordy still wants you as her plus one, fancy it mate?"

Angel shook his head, usually he'd agree, Drusilla's parties were always legendary, unlimited supply of drugs and alcohol to party into the early hours of the next day but he'd rather spend his evening with Buffy. He chuckled "Sorry, I have a _date_"

Spike snorted in derision "A date? With whom?" he saw his friends eyebrow raise then he clicked on "Ah, so Goldilocks has you whipped, that's amusing" he grinned at the annoyed look that came over Angels face.

"Bring her along, you never know she might enjoy herself" he had only met her once before and spent a bit of time speaking to her and knew for a fact that those types of parties were not her scene. Angel picked up his towel and followed Spike out of the gym.

"I'll think about it, and tell Cordy to take the hint" Spike rolled his eyes and got back in his car and drove off. Angel dried off some sweat then climbed into his own car, once they finish dinner, if it wouldn't be late then maybe he'd stop off for a bit.

Angel went home, had another shower and put on a pair of black leather pants and a blood red shirt then headed out to get Buffy. Their evening was pleasant, she had chosen to go to a Thai Restaurant for something different from them, he surprised himself that he was actually enjoying her company and not just itching to take her home.

He paid for their food then headed outside, it wasn't even ten o'clock yet; Angel stopped Buffy from walking and held her hand in his "Buff, there's a party tonight at a friend's, do you want to stop by, even just for a couple hours?"

Buffy scrunched up her face, it sounded good but she wanted to go back home and snuggle up on the sofa with him. Seeing the eagerness on his face she nodded "Sure, just for a couple hours?" he nodded at her then headed for his car.

The drive didn't take long, the neighbourhood they were in was massive, each house had an electronic fence guarding the drive way. Angel input a code on the machine and then began the last stretch of their journey.

Buffy stayed close to his side as they made their way through the house, greeting some of his friends; she didn't want to admit it but she was intimidated by some of them. She saw the Brit who had kept her company in the club that first night so she went over to speak to him.

When she looked back at Angel she frowned, Cordelia was hanging over him, swinging her glass about; clearly she'd already had too much to drink. He turned around to look at her and smiled gently then came over to her side.

Cordelia huffed then stormed off in another direction; Angel placed a kiss on the top of her head and took her hand in his. Spike eyed the pair and smirked, he'd never seen his friend act like this before "Having a good time kitten?"

Buffy nodded, she wasn't really but didn't want to be a downer; Angel looked like he was having a good time speaking to everyone. Spike patted her on the arm then went off to another room in search of a drink.

She turned around in surprise as Darla came waltzing in, she didn't know that Darla knew anyone here; then again they weren't exactly on speaking terms as of late "Hi Angelus!" she touched his chest gently then flicked her eyes at Buffy "Buff"

Angel smiled politely "Evening Darla, didn't know you'd be here" the older blonde smirked then sunk the full martini that she had in her hand. A tall dark haired man came up behind her and pulled her flush against his chest to kiss her then hand her a drink.

Buffy remained silent, by the sounds of it Angel knew that she had either been here before or that she was in fact coming that evening and didn't like it "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom" she pulled her hand away from Angel and stalked towards one of the bathrooms.

She didn't need to use the restroom, all she wanted was some time away from those people; apart from speaking to Spike she didn't know anyone else and didn't like a select few people that she'd seen drape over Angel.

On her way back out she was shocked that she had seen some of the guests swallow suspicious looking pills, when she entered the room where she left Angel she stopped in her tracks as she watched him inhale a line of white powder.

He laughed at something the other man said then wiped his nose; he looked over to Buffy and looked like a deer caught in headlights. He came over to her swiftly and kissed her forehead "What's wrong?" he ran his thumb over her lips.

Buffy ran her hand over her arm soothingly "Sorry, it's just getting a bit late" she looked to the ground then back at him "I can make my own way home, you don't have to leave" she didn't like the idea of leaving him here alone but she didn't want to spend any more time here herself.

Angel smiled down at her "No, don't worry, give me five minutes then we'll leave okay?" when she nodded he kissed her then set off down towards the kitchen. Buffy remained in the hallway, feeling awkward and out of place, she frowned when she heard a smash.

Some of the guests headed down to the disturbance, natural curiosity got the better of her and she followed in the same direction. Her mouth dropped as she walked in on Angel fighting with a man, similar in size; only he had mousey brown hair.

The people that had circled around them were jeering both of the fighters to go at it harder, Buffy wanted to push her way through and stop it but she couldn't get through them. The man punched Angel hard causing his nose to bleed profusely.

A slim raven haired woman swayed in and clapped loudly, her harsh eyes disapproving of the scene in front of her "Naughty boys! Naughty, naughty boys! Fighting in my house, I won't stand for this!" her accent was entrancing and she danced as she spoke.

Surprisingly they both stopped fighting, Angel straightened up his shirt and took a step back; the other man sent glares towards Angel "I'm sorry Drusilla" the way Angel spoke to her was as if he was a school boy being reprimanded and repentant for his actions.

The other man apologised as well and she went over to them and spoke with them in hushed tones, Buffy watched in question. Angel didn't seem like the type of person that took orders from anyone else, let alone a woman.

He made his way over to her and grabbed her hand so that they could leave. Buffy stopped him and tried to reach out to the cut on his forehead but he pulled away "What was all that about?!" he shook his head then got into his car.

She was surprised when he drove in the direction of her house and not his, sure she didn't have to spend every night at his but that's just what happened on their last date. "Angel, please tell me what happened?!"

He looked over to her, he wasn't sure if he should let her know. There were things about him that only selected people knew because he trusted them. If he told her the truth and she blabbed, then it would not bode well for him.

"Come inside, please?" she looked at him hopefully; reluctantly he got out of the car and followed her inside. She went to the medicine cabinet and pulled out the first aid kit that she had and turned her attention back on him.

Angel sat on the seat at the dining table in silence but winced as she swabbed his cuts with an alcohol swab, luckily his nosebleed stopped long before he had got here. She finished cleaning his face then ran her fingers through his messy hair.

"Angel, what happened?" she was hoping that it was nothing to do with the fact that he had taken drugs earlier that night.

He looked down to the ground then back up at her, the look of genuine worry that was on her face warmed his heart; no one apart from his mother had ever had this much concern for him "We had a disagreement, we're not exactly friends or even acquaintances"

Seeing that he wouldn't give her anymore information she nodded silently. She put away the bloodied cloth in the bin and looked back at his marred features, despite the bruising and cuts he still looked dangerously beautiful.

"Thank you" he went over to her and kissed her slowly, without saying anything they headed towards her bedroom and lay on the bed. Angel pulled her snug against his chest and his arm over her body.

Buffy inhaled his scent and snuggled against him, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she didn't actually know much about him and it concerned her.


	7. Chapter 7

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* * *

Buffy sat back in the hard plastic seat and struggled with a cough, the Police officer handed her a cup of water to quench her dry throat "thank you" she looked down at her hands again then sighed, trying to delay speaking again.

The officer paused for a moment then quirked his eyebrow at her "So before that night with the fight with Mr Finn, you had no idea about the drugs?" she shook her head and looked back at him angrily.

"No, I thought it was just a one off, I didn't know th…" she stopped speaking and inhaled deeply, she felt like she was going to cry again. There was so much information being thrown at her and everyone expected her to handle things well but she couldn't deal.

He produced files about the increase of drugs being pumped into the streets of LA that tied in with the arrival and permanent stay from Angel "Don't you find it strange, your boyfriend breezes into the city and oh, the drug problem gets worse?"

After a pause he continued, his tone menacing "Have you ever done drugs? Or sold them on behalf of Liam? …if you don't tell us the truth you could see yourself behind bars, do you want to end up in prison, ruin your good social standing Buffy?"

She counted to ten and let out a deep breath, although this was taking it out of her, if she went over everything rapidly then the faster she would get out of there.

* * *

Buffy had woken up still in Angels arms; they had fallen asleep on top of the covers and still in last night's clothes. His strong arms that spooned her were comforting, she felt conflicted over her emotions but this just felt right.

She felt his hand move up her body and palm her breast underneath her top and give it a squeeze, she smirked and turned her head so that she could see his face; his usual sharp features were smooth and relaxed but he was still downright gorgeous.

"Morning" his breath tickled her ear, she bit her lip as his fingers stroked her nipple and he ground himself against her backside. Angel kissed the back of her neck then nibbled at the skin on her collarbone as his hand applied more pressure.

Buffy shifted position so she was lying on her back, her thumb traced over the cut on his head and the split on his lip, her bottom lip jut out thinking about the aberrations on his skin. Angel removed his hand from under her top to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Angel… this might not be my place to ask but…" her heart rate sped up, unsure of how things would go "…are you addicted to drugs?" she quickly looked away from his face but she could feel his eyes boring into her face.

Angel pursed his lips together, he was unsure if she had saw him last night, it was something he didn't feel the need to hide but he didn't want a lecture about his lifestyle "Not addicted, but I do use on the odd occasion" he saw her eyebrows draw together disapprovingly.

Buffy licked her bottom lip, at least he wasn't addicted but she still didn't like the fact that he saw no problem with using drugs "Angel, I know I don't have any right to, but please stop using" she finally looked back to him pleadingly.

The green of her eyes seemed dull compared to their usual sparkle, his stomach clenched at her request; she didn't have a right to ask that but deep down he wanted to please her "Buffy…"

She took his head between her hands so that he couldn't look away, although they had only knew each other a short while and had only been on a few dates; she felt something for him "I don't want anything to happen to you!"

Angel nodded "Okay" he saw surprise come across her features at his answer, he would try his best not to but then again, what she doesn't know won't hurt her "I'll stop" to avoid this going further he kissed her languidly hoping to avoid the topic altogether.

Thankfully she let go of questioning him and wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. Angel got off the bed at her request then followed her down towards the bathroom where they continued their erotic activities.

Oooooooooooooo

Since the incident at the party Angel had done his best, even when Buffy wasn't there and he was offered he turned it down. That then led to Spike saying he was positively whipped and changing who he was for her, which wasn't entirely true; he just stopped using, everything else was still him.

He had stopped using but that didn't stop him from procuring shipments from the previous agreement and passing them on, he fully believed that if she found that out she would have his balls on a plate. They managed to keep all conversation of this at bay whilst she was around.

Angel sat down in his office and looked at a picture that was on his desk, it was of him and Buffy when they visited a Carnival recently. He wasn't the 'picture on a desk' type of guy but it was a picture that enhanced her beauty even more than usual.

He had only known her for a couple of month and knew that out of those couple of month that there was only a few days that they hadn't been together. This was the longest he had ever spent being with one woman exclusively – he hadn't felt the need to have some random other than the two times before things got a bit more serious between them.

Thinking over it, he had to admit he liked her, maybe more than liked her. She wasn't high maintenance or even a pain in the ass, she done as she was told but still had a backbone and done her own things.

He looked down at the file that was left on his desk by Wes and read over the reports, his eyes flicked up at the door when he heard it creak open then smiled widely. Buffy shuffled inside then sat a paper bag on his desk "When did you last eat something?"

Angel opened the bag and inhaled the delicious smell coming from the food "You, this morning" he took the food out of the bag and took a forkful; he grinned deviously at Buffy as she turned a bright shade of red.

Buffy cleared her throat, his words although she felt embarrassed, it had spread warmth down her body as she remembered what they had got up to that morning before he left to come here. She sat down on the seat across from him and sighed "I saw Darla today"

From the look on her face she was both upset and mad; they had grown apart which was a shame as from what she had told him, they were very close before. Deep down he wanted to blame himself for the rift but it was Darla's loss.

"She's not looking good, I'm worried about her… but she wouldn't look me in the eye" her lip quivered in sadness then she shook her head trying to forget about the encounter "I just hope it's nothing serious, I still care for her"

Angel placed his hand on top of hers and smiled tenderly at her "You're a good friend Buff, just give it some time, she'll come around" Buffy smiled back at him then we went back to eating his food, Wes came in at nodded at the pair.

"Ah Miss Summers, it's been a while, I hope you're doing well" the more time she spent with Angel, the more Angel straightened out his activities; he was aware of the drug use stopping because of her and that he went out less, not getting in trouble.

"I'm very well Wesley, you?" the Englishman was someone she liked, he was always pleasant and done his best to make sure she had everything she needed, not only was he Angels advisor and PA but he was practically hers as well.

Wes produced another file and nodded "I'm good… are you accompanying us on our trip out east?" he saw the puzzled look on her face and the hard look on Angels face. Feeling like he had put his foot in it he high-tailed it out of the office.

Buffy watched him leave then faced Angel, unsure of what he was talking about. Angel put the used food container back in the bag in came in and pushed it to the side of his desk "I'm heading to New York for a couple of days…"

This was the first she had heard this and was a little miffed that she hadn't been asked, if it wasn't for Wes then she wouldn't have known until he left "Oh" she picked at her sleeve and shrugged in a childish manner.

Angel wanted to roll his eyes but didn't "I'll be busy with work… although if you come with me, It'll give me an excuse to slack off, do a bit of sightseeing?" he used his most charming smile to convince her, also to get her off his back.

She had never been to New York and had always wanted to go "I guess… but I don't want to put you off work!" He never needed an excuse to slack off of work, he done that all by himself. It was his rules and no others.

Buffy looked at the clock on the wall and sighed "Speaking of work, I better get going to mine" Angel circled the table and pulled her into a toe-curling kiss, she pulled away and panted heavily "I'll see you later Angel"

He watched as she walked out of sight, he was pleased that she would be going with them, meant he wouldn't be bored in between meetings but then again, there was something that couldn't be delayed, he would have to find a way to keep her occupied during it.

Oooooooooooooo

Darla stumbled over a broken part of the sidewalk and fell against the brickwork of the building, scraping her forearms. She growled in frustration the continued on with her journey, it didn't take long to get to the destination.

She knocked on the door then waited until the man inside opened it and let her in, she was led down to the back of the house and into a room. The house from outside looked immaculate but inside it was dirty and had a rotten smell.

"Hi, do you have what I'm looking for?" she wiped at her eyes and tried to steady her hand that was shaking uncontrollably. The man quirked his eyebrow at her and smirked, he went over to the unit at the side and pulled out a package.

She handed him the money then grabbed the package from him hastily and opened it, pulling out all its contents. The man pointed towards one of the other rooms and ushered her in, she fiddled around with the items and set up the apparatus.

Darla tied the tourniquet around her bicep then held up a lighter beneath the spoon, warming up the liquid. She filled up the syringe and pushed it into her vein then pushed the plunger, sending the illegal liquid coursing into her system.

With a thud, she fell back onto the bare floor and chuckled, the high pulsing its way through her body. The man let her lie on the floor all she wanted, she had handed him more money than he asked for but he wasn't going to tell her that.

He stalked upstairs and into the main bedroom to face his supplier "I'm going to need some more; that one downstairs has been coming to me a lot more, could even charge a higher amount for it"

He went over to the drawer and pulled out the safety box with money and handed it to the supplier "Spike, just let me know when I can get more in"

Spike smirked at the man then left without saying anything; he bypassed the room without looking at who was inside, unknowing to him that it was someone who he had a connection with.


	8. Chapter 8

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* * *

Buffy gripped on to the armrest as they hit another patch of turbulence, she squeezed shut her eyes and held her breath until the plane levelled out. She heard a chuckle as sent a glare in the direction it came from.

Angel rolled his eyes at her then took a drink of whiskey "Didn't know you're afraid of flying" he nodded for her to join him and reclined the seat. Good thing about having a lot of money was that you could afford a private jet that was all decked out.

Buffy unlocked her seat belt then made her way over to him quickly then sat on his thigh, her head resting against his chest. One last shudder from the plane caused her to close her eyes again and hold him tight "Angel"

He kissed the top of her hair and stroked her arm "You'll be okay" he leaned down to kiss her softly, it then grew heated within minutes and Angel slid his hand lower to cup her ass. They broke apart when they heard Wes clearing his throat.

He was sitting in one of the seats across from them reading the newspaper, he looked at them disapprovingly as he flicked the page "I would like to remind you that I am in fact sitting here, I wouldn't appreciate a live show, as lovely as I'm sure it may be"

Buffy turned crimson as he smirked at them then went back to reading the paper. Angel tipped her head to look at him and he mouthed _later_ to her. She shook her head mockingly at him then laid her head back on his chest.

The rest of the flight went without problems as did going through security at the airport then off to the hotel via limousine; Buffy had never experienced a journey quite like that, it was definitely something she could get used to.

Wes got off the elevator and headed towards his room, Angel and Buffy remained until they reached the suite on the top floor. Once again she looked around in awe; just like his own apartment it was impressive.

She placed her case in the corner of the room and went to look out the window; the lights from all the shops, all the cars and buildings set against the dark night sky looked beautiful. Angel came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her body.

Without saying anything his hand went underneath her dress and pulled her panties down till they fell to the floor. Buffy moaned as he trailed open mouthed kisses down her neck, she spun around in his arms and jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist as he walked over to the bed.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy scrunched up her nose when a beam of sunlight hit her square in the face; she groaned then rolled over to face the inside of the room. She peaked behind the duvet to watch Angel stalk about the room to get ready for a meeting.

He buttoned up his shirt then fixed his tie; he caught sight of Buffy watching him from the bed. Wrapped up in the duvet, messy bed hair and pouty lips; all he wanted to do was join her back in bed but unfortunately he had a meeting.

"Morning, I'll be done around noon so I'll pick you up and we'll do whatever you want" he smiled kindly down at her then pressed a kiss on to the tip of her nose, she pulled him back down and gave him a proper kiss then watched as he left their suite.

With nothing to do until he finished his meeting, she spent the morning lazing about in bed, flicking through the channels on the TV then eventually tried out the fancy bathtub that was also a Jacuzzi. Once her skin pruned she came reluctantly got out of the tub and dressed just in time for Angel to pick her up.

They went out and done some sightseeing, shopping then a late lunch, Wesley joined them for food but then left as he had other plans whilst he was here. All in all it was a good day, Buffy put away the clothes she had bought then curled up on the bed with Angel to watch a movie.

The next day was filled with meetings, which meant Buffy had to occupy herself, she done a round of more shops, Angel had given her his credit card and told her she could buy anything that she wanted; she of course bought him a few things too.

As she trailed around the shops, coming close to clearing a grand on his card she took some time to think about their situation. Sure, he could afford her to squander his money on whatever the hell she wanted he was rich enough.

The fact that they had known each other for almost seven month and he allowed her to take charge of the plastic meant something surely? Ever since she expressed her distaste for his _habit_ she had noticed that he didn't spend as much time with _those_ friends.

They spent a lot of time together but when they did take some time apart at first she did worry, now she didn't mind; without having to ask she felt that he was doing the right thing, well, if he took any meaning from her words then he would be on the straight and narrow.

The things he would do for her, simple things like a fresh bouquet of flowers or a new book that she had wanted, she felt her feelings towards him grow. She tried to keep her heart locked away from him which was futile; he was breaking those walls down.

Buffy smiled at the shop assistant who helped her with the bags out to the car that was sent to pick her up in, she handed him a tip then climbed in and acknowledged the driver. Once back in the hotel suite she raided through the bags till she found the expensively slutty underwear and put it on, waiting for him to return.

Oooooooooooooo

The third day involved more meetings but this time she was invited to go along to one of them, she remained quiet during it listening intently; it seemed that he was a multitalented man who had his interests in a large range of ventures; clubs, restaurants and property across the US and beyond.

They were attending one of the clubs that he owned that evening, like when she attended the opening of Vampyrr back in LA, they were treated like celebrities. Although he owned the place it was nice to see him out in a club; that was something they hadn't done for a date night.

Buffy had got speaking to a few women in the VIP section and didn't mind when Angel said that he was heading upstairs to deal with some last minute business. When he had been away for a long time she decided that she would go find him so they could go home.

The bouncer at the back of the club let her through as he recognised her from earlier when Angel introduced them; she pressed the button on the lift and began the ascent to the office. Like the other club she would have thought the hallway would have been silent but she could hear raised voices.

She stepped closer to the sound of the argument; one voice she picked up was Angel's. She couldn't tell what they were shouting about but it didn't sound pleasant "Angel?" she pushed open the door a tiny amount to see into the room and wished she hadn't.

Looking into the room showed a group of men at the side, a man with bruises on his face and Angel who had pointed a gun at him and fired. There was no telltale shot, she just saw him squeeze the trigger and then the man hit the floor in front of him.

Angel lowered the gun then whipped his head around to the shriek he heard from the door, he saw Buffy stand there in shock, her eyes looked much larger than usual and they were filled with unshed tears. He nodded to one of the men in the group who took the gun from him then went to the body on the floor.

Buffy's eyes locked on to the lifeless body on the floor as Angel pulled her down the hall and into another room, he petted her hair gently "Buff, you should never have seen that" she looked around then set her eyes on his face.

He smiled down at her like nothing had happened, acting casual, with no regrets – it struck her that she didn't know who in the hell he was. He was always caring and considerate with her, she had feelings for him – possibly even loved him.

She knew that she loved him; she hadn't said it to him because she thought it was just too soon, but she didn't. She was in love with a murderer. She couldn't believe it, when he went to touch her again she shied away from his touch and shook her head "Buffy"

She out her hand out to silence him, a rush of emotions came to the surface all at the one time, she had tears streaming down her face, she was terrified but she sounded royally pissed off "No. Angel, No! You just killed someone! You killed him in cold blood!"

Angel just waited until she finished ranting at quirked his eyebrow up at her as if to question if she was finished. He squared off his shoulders as he stood in front of her "Are you ready to go home now?"

Buffy looked at him incredulously "Yes and I'm not going home with you! I can't even look at you" she made a move for the door but he grabbed her arm and pulled her flush against his body, stopping her from leaving.

She tried to move out the way when he leaned in for a kiss but he caught her, his lips were soft and gentle on hers, if it wasn't for the situation they were in she would have melted into the moment, loving the feel of his touch.

"Angel" she looked up at him pleadingly, she felt like she was going to throw up; the moment she saw that man die kept replaying over and over again in her head. She still couldn't believe what she had witnessed moments ago.

"Buff, you'll come to realise that there are people in this world… people who are nothing more than something on the bottom of your shoe, he was one of those people; he ran out of chances and the jury was out, he had to go"

She remained quiet and looked to the ground, cautiously he pulled her tighter against his body "He got young women like you, addicted to drugs… craving their next hit until that's all they could think about, some overdosing on the first attempt…"

Angel ran his finger tips down the side of her face then cupped her cheek gently "He sold them into trafficking, all those girls were forced to degrade their bodies before they were allowed the peace and tranquillity that the next shot would provide, he done that whilst working for me, ruining my good name"

Buffy licked her lips, her throat constricted making her sound rough "That's not for you to decide… he should have went to court and had his day, be sent to jail" finally she looked up at him, his eyes were warm on hers, full of deep emotion.

Angel ran his fingers through her hair, his voice trembling as he spoke "I've saw the dirtier side of life Buff, he might have been charged then again he could have been set free to continue his sick ploy… What if he done that with you? Do you know how angry that makes me, thinking of someone hurting you like that?!" she remained quiet, unsure of what to say next.

He took the silence as a good thing and put his arm around her to escort her back to the hotel, he used the back exit to get out to a car he had called to avoid the crowds of the club. He kept a tight hold on her until they got back to their suite then he gave her a chance to be alone.

Buffy came out of the bathroom and stalled, she didn't know if she could sleep in the same bed as him – on one hand she loved him and the other he had committed an atrocious act of violence, saying it was for the better good…but was it?

He motioned for her to come over, Buffy tried to slow her heart rate down; she was scared that if shy defied him then something bad might happen to her. Reluctantly she climbed on the bed and let herself be pulled against his body.

Angel leaned down and kissed her feverishly, his hands wandered over her body as if he was scared that she would disappear. She would have thought that she could stop this from going further but her body betrayed her allowing her to have what she wanted, his touch, his kiss.

He pulled off her pyjama dress and threw it to the floor, then trailed his tongue down her taut stomach as he pulled off her panties nipped at the skin on her thigh. He lapped at her core, over and over until she was begging him for more.

Buffy bit her lip as he lavished hot wet kisses up and down her body as his fingers teased her, bringing her closer to climax. She knew this was different, he was a very attentive lover and made her come a couple of times at least but now, it was _all_ about her.

Angel propped himself up on his elbows as he settled between her legs "Buffy" she took her time to look up at him, her breath caught in her throat at the way he was looking at her "Buff, I love you" he pushed into her slowly until he was buried deep inside.

She didn't reply to him, she did love him too but the words got stuck in her throat, she didn't trust herself to say anything. All she could do was kiss him back.


	9. Chapter 9

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* * *

Thankfully when they got back to LA her work schedule meant that she would be working most of that week which she used as an excuse to just stay at her own apartment. Angel had offered to take her out for dinner but she couldn't eat.

Any time she was alone and heard a noise she would panic, she was unsure if he would hurt her or not, he told her that he loved her and she believed it. She knew eventually that she would have to face him and was dreading it.

Buffy jumped when someone knocked at her door, she opened it carefully then felt relieved when Wesley smiled at her "Come in Wes" she let him enter and showed him to the living room "Can I get you anything?"

The Englishman shook his head "Angel is worried about you darling, he thinks that you are avoiding him and has raised some concerns with me" he looked at her pointedly, he was fully aware of what happened, Angel confided everything in him.

Buffy let out a nervous laugh "I'm okay" the look on Wesley's face showed that he didn't believe her; he sat down on the sofa and waited patiently. She took a deep breath then sat across from him, doing her best not to cry.

"Wes, I… I'm scared… I feel like I don't know who he is" she wrung her hands together to stop them from shaking. She knew Wes was close to him, so figured that he would already know what happened; she viewed him as someone she could trust despite this.

Wes sighed, this was the bad thing about Angel finally finding a woman who could tame him "Buffy, Angel, despite being affluent has grew up hard, his father was a feared man… this is the only life he knew and he doesn't take killing people lightly, it's not common for him to do"

Buffy looked at him, so he must have done something like that before. Wes shook his head "that was the first time he's pulled the trigger but make no mistake, he's not a stupid man, he does his best for everyone, he's trying to do the right thing now… it's because of you"

Wes looked at the conflict of emotion on her face, he truly liked her, and not only as a person but also that she was changing his friend for the better. When Angel told him about that night he wanted to wring his neck, it was stupid of him to be there in the first place.

She leaned over and whispered "He told me about… him, about what he done, is it true?" her tongue ran over her lip before she chewed on it, if she knew the truth then maybe she could begin to comprehend the reasoning behind his actions.

After a pause Wes smiled sadly at her "Buffy" she gave him a look that warned him not to bypass the conversation "All I'm going to say is that he was not a nice person and frankly I'm glad that he isn't breathing" he looked away from her shocked face.

"I've worked with Angel for many years, I don't condone what he's done but I'm always going to be there for him" he could see her thinking things over, it was a hard task to ask an innocent young woman to put her trust in someone shed only known for a few months, especially that he had in fact murdered someone.

He placed his hand on her shoulder when he stood up "he's dreadfully worried about you" he smiled at her then let himself out of her apartment. Buffy watched as he left, deep down she knew that a hard decision was going to have to be made.

Oooooooooooooo

"Darla?" she spotted her friend across the street but she ignored her. Buffy watched as she scurried away, she was looking terrible. Darla was always well groomed and curvaceous – seeing her today was a shock, she looked like a shell of herself.

Concerned for her, Buffy tailed her friend down a few streets and into a less than stellar neighbourhood. She watched as Darla entered the house and not long after she hid against the wall of the house across the street as she spotted Spike enter too.

Spike? She frowned, as far as she was aware Spike and Darla weren't exactly friends. Only five minutes later he walked back out as he pocketed a large roll of cash then dialled a number on his phone, chuckling at the person on the other line.

Not long after the incident at the party she had heard Spike whispering to Angel about getting more _gear_, she peeked from behind the partition as Angel shook his head. The head shake was minute but she saw it, it was then that she had began to be calmer about his activities and that he was staying true to his words.

She frowned as he walked down the street and got into the SUV that was parked a few houses away, it looked like he was a dealer, maybe he was supplying Angel? Or worse, her stomach turned as she began to think what if Angel was the one behind it all?

Twenty minutes later Darla spilled out of the house and stumbled her way down past her. Buffy grabbed her gently "Darla?"

She was gaunt, her makeup a mess and the bags under her eyes gave away how tough she'd had it of late; this was not the friend she remembered. Darla shook a little but she smiled "Hi Buffy, long time no see"

Buffy smiled kindly at her "Yeah… do you want to go talk?" she saw Darla's eyes go harsh as she glared at her. Buffy raised her hands in peace, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"No Buffy, No I don't… I don't need you to rub in your perfect life in my face; you don't need to worry about me!" she didn't have a chance to stop her from talking non-sense; she missed having her as a close friend and didn't know how it came to this.

Darla stormed off but constantly looking around if someone was watching her. She had read enough to know that her friend was using drugs and having a bad episode. Buffy frowned then ran her way to work before she was late.

She would have to come up with a plan on getting Darla the help she needed, they may have been on the outs or a couple of month but that didn't take away from the fact that they had been friends for many years.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel had spent over an hour doing weights and now was using all his force and throwing jabs at the punch bag. Buffy hadn't spoken to him since New York, he'd left a couple of messages for her but she hadn't replied to any of them.

His frustration was reaching critical point, taking his rage out on the bag was the best idea he had came up with. He wanted to go over to hers and see what her problem was, but he knew that he would be too aggressive and no doubt scare her even more.

What annoyed him the most was that she was the first woman he had ever uttered the words of love to and now it had backfired, he didn't want to be hurt by love; that's why he went through more women than hot dinners.

She hadn't said it back to him that night but he knew that she felt something, the way she would stare at him or the emotion in her kisses let him knew that it wasn't one sided. He didn't intend for her to find out about _that _side of his life, he was trying to get away from it, now that she knew he needed for it to be all okay.

Angel stopped the assault on the punch bag to gulp down his water, as turned his back he jumped when he felt someone tapping him. He spun around ready to hit the intruder but stopped short of Buffy's head.

The smile on his face was wiped off when she threw a punch at him and connected with his jaw, hard. He didn't have time to question her before she threw another punch but this time he caught her fist in his hand.

Her eyes were filled with tears although she was glaring at him "You bastard!" he let go of her hands as her emotion over took her, her feeble hands swatted at his chest "It's all your fault!" she broke down crying and was unable to resist his arms pulling her close to his chest.

Angel rubbed her back soothingly but then groaned in pain when a sudden burst of energy came from her and she kneed him in the groin "Fuck, what was that for?" he cupped himself protectively in case she went for round two.

Buffy wiped her eyes, her voice was weak but harsh "Darla was found dead earlier of an overdose… I saw Spike enter that house. You had something to do with this! You promised you wouldn't…" she choked back a sob "You said you were done with drugs"

A strange feeling washed over him, never before had someone's words affected him like they did just now. The hurt coming off her made him feel bad but on the other hand he was pissed that she was blaming him; it wasn't his fault that she had overdosed.

"I'm sorry, I am but it's not my fault" he stepped out of the way when she went to punch him again, he spun her around and brought her back against his chest, locking her in an iron tight grip "Listen Buffy, I didn't hand her those drugs, I had no idea that she was using… I wouldn't do that to you"

She tried to move but couldn't, he locked her in tight. She tried to resist then groaned in disgust as he ground himself against her backside to sway her in a different direction. Buffy shook her head "Angel, please"

He kissed along her neck "Please, what?!"His hand slid down and stroked her through her jeans, after a moment he felt her stiffen then her body started shaking. He let her go when he felt tear drops on his forearm, it shocked him to think that she was afraid of him "Buffy?"

Following a pause she turned around to look at him, her big doe eyes were filled with pain "She's dead… I can't… I just can't, Angel… I can't look at you the same, you've done terrible things!" she stepped back as he reached out for her then shook her head.

Angel panicked; he thought this would blow over but the way she said that he had no doubts that she was telling the truth and if she walked out of here, he would never see her again "I'm sorry about Darla, I am… Buffy, I love you, I'd never want to cause you pain"

Buffy choked back a sob, she wasn't sure she could take him seriously; she didn't want to believe him. If it came down to it, she was scared that she would have a similar fate; maybe not through drugs but would end up dead because of him, that was entirely plausible.

"I… I can't do this"

His eyes shot towards her and could see the conviction in her eyes "Buff" he went to reach for her but she kicked his shin then ran. He winced at the shoot of pain up his leg then tried to run after her; he got to the outside of the gym and couldn't see her in the street.

* * *

The police officer cracked his knuckles then his neck as he fixed his gaze on Buffy, she became quiet again and was gazing at the table "So Miss Summers, we found connections of the shipment of drugs and with Liam… do you believe that he was responsible for your friends death?"

She didn't move or breathe any heavier, her eyes still fixated on the table top "Buffy? Are you certain that it was Liam's fault that Darla died?" eventually her eyes came up from the table and stared him deep in the eyes, giving nothing away.

He fingered through some pages on the file in front of him then pushed a sheet towards her "This, this is information that a body was found in the woods outside of New York only last week, our line of enquiry found out that he was last seen at a club that Liam owns… isn't that suspicious?"

Buffy looked down at the report and saw the picture of the man that was found, his face still haunted her. The way he begged for his life, the way the room was surrounded in eerie silence and his empty eyes as his body hut the ground.

Ever since that night back in his club she had been unable to sleep well, her sun kissed skin had paled down and looked sickly against the bags under her eyes and her lacklustre hair. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

She started to cry, it was difficult trying to hold back all emotions; she knew she couldn't hold it any longer "I'm twenty-four years old… I've not even began to live and I've been through so much" she put her head on her folded arms to avoid looking at him.

The officer felt his heart clench, she was a pretty young thing who looked terrified. The emotion in her voice was cutting him down to the core "Buffy… did Liam O'Connor kill that man?" he saw her lift her head and blink back the tears in her eyes before speaking.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the Reviews!**

* * *

Angel slammed his fists against the oak table in frustration "Dammit Wes, you're telling me that you can't find her? How difficult is it to find one person" he downed the glass of whiskey then poured himself another.

"Angel, she is one woman in a city this big… it's entirely possible for her to hide" Wesley smiled calmly at his boss then sipped some tea that he had brewed "We're doing our best to find her, it's only been a few days"

A few days? He didn't care, Buffy had run out on him at the gym and he couldn't find her. Her apartment was empty and according to her boss she hadn't been in work either, she was intentionally avoiding him and it didn't sit well.

"I don't care, I want her found" he ground his teeth. Since she had fled he had been in serious brood mode, thinking over everything; Buffy, Him, hiswork and his _extra_ work, bringing him to the conclusion that if he would have fully stopped dealing with drugs then she would still be here.

It would make him laugh to think that he was willing to change himself for a girl, not just a girl but a gorgeous, intelligent woman with the biggest green eyes he had ever seen. He shook the thoughts of her out of his head; this wasn't a time to laugh.

"Angel, don't you think it's time to clean up your act? See how your actions affect people's lives?" he folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrow to emphasise the point. He could see his boss squirm in his seat.

Angel bit his lip, he didn't want to think about the consequences; all he knew was that this was the first time he messed up and felt bad for it. All because of Buffy "Wes, I need to find her" he ran his hand through his messy hair and sighed.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy sighed as she sunk into the warm water in the bath tub; her hand ran over her taut stomach then she began to cry. Her life plan was simple, graduate high school, get a job, meet someone, fall in love then get married and so on.

All of that came crashing down this morning when she had to pee on a stick. Positive. Positive as in pregnant, having a child. A child with a man she loved yet a man who terrified her by his actions and his two completely different lives.

Sure she had graduated, got a job and had met someone who she _loved_ but now she would have a child. Not that she didn't want a baby but she felt like she was too young to bring a life into this world and look after them.

She lay in silence thinking things over; if she didn't feel prepared there was _something_ that she could do to resolve the problem. She shook her head in disgust; that was something she would never do, despite the situation that she was in.

Her thoughts travelled back to Angel, she was torn. On one hand she missed him deeply and the other hand she wanted to throw up thinking of all he was involved in. If she had never gone to the club that night then maybe her life would be different and Darla would still be alive.

She got out of the bath and wrapped herself in a towel; she went into the bedroom then sat on the edge of the bed. She desperately wanted to call Angel, have him pick her up and hold her close until the sun settled then rose again.

The towel became damp as she dried herself off then pulled on the last of her clothes. When she had fled him a few days earlier she ran to her house and packed a couple of items before catching a bus out of town, wanting some time to think about things.

She ended up in some small town a couple of hours outside of LA, paying in cash to stay at a motel by the side of the road. The money was quickly running out and knew if she took money out of an ATM then he could find her.

What she would get out of running away she didn't know, eventually she would have to go back and face the music. Coming face to face with him scared her, would he be mad that she fled? Would he be happy that she was returning? It was hard to know what would happen.

Buffy counted through the notes she had left in her purse then threw them back inside, her money situation was worse than she had anticipated. It looked like she would have to return home within the next day and face her fears.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel had listened to Spike for the past half hour on the advantages of signing up for another shipment of drugs, the entire time he pretended to give a rats ass but couldn't. The talk with Wes and the words Buffy had spoken had gotten to him.

He was done with it all. He shook his head at his friend "I'm done" the blonde looked at him inquisitively "I'm done with it all Spike" he got up from his seat and paced around his office, he had pent up energy that needed to be burned off.

Spike laughed heartily "You're serious? Giving up what you've built all for some whiney little bint, whom may I remind you has skipped town, mate" he was pulled up by the collar of his top and thrown against the wall, causing him to wince.

The look on Angel's face was lethal; he clenched his grip on Spikes throat "Don't. Don't ever speak about her in that way and yes, I am being serious. I'm done with it all _Spikey_" he heard the strained breath and the colour on his friends face change so he let him go.

Spike choked and held his throat, feeling the burn from Angels tight grasp "Christ!" he coughed to clear his throat "Right, I got it, you love her, want to be the big man, all white knight and chivalrous… but does she want you, after everything she found out?"

Angel punched the wall in front of him, he didn't know and that's what scared him the most. The adrenaline wore off then suddenly was hit with the pain that came from his hand; it sent shockwaves of agony throughout his body.

"Fuck" he held his aching fist against his chest and blinked back the tears that had formed, there was no way that he would cry in front of Spike. He sat back down in his seat and downed the whiskey to try to dull the pain.

Spike cautiously made his way over to his friend "Sore one… should go to the hospital mate" he raised his arms in surrender when he was shot with a dark glare "Looks broken" he began to walk out of the office with Angel in tow.

As suspected, his hand was in fact broken. His hand was reset and placed in a cast, he groaned when the doctor said that painkillers were out of the question once Spike let it slip that he had a couple of whiskeys before they had got there.

Angel reluctantly thanked the doctor for their help then made his way out of the cubicle and down towards the exit. Spike remained silent beside him, not wanting to anger him into causing himself more bodily harm.

Oooooooooooooo

Spike had dropped him off him off at the club without saying anything; he trudged up the stairs at the rear of the building then slumped on to the sofa in his suite. He threw his good arm over his eyes and took a deep sigh, wanting nothing more than for this day to end.

He lost track of the time on account of all the things that were running through his mind, when he heard the door creak open he thought nothing of it. Wes was due back any time around now, he sighed not saying anything to the intruder.

The only sound in the room was the door clicking shut, Angel ground his teeth together; he couldn't take any more of Wes's silent condemnation. He slammed his good hand off of the sofa and glared, he took one look at her and his scowl melted.

Buffy shifted from foot to foot as she looked at the ground then finally looked at him, carefully so not to spook her he stood up and walked over to her slowly, even though it had only been less than a week, he had missed her and thought that she had become more beautiful in that time "Buffy" he took her hand gently in his and gave it a squeeze.

The jolt of emotion that worked its way through her body scared her. She knew what he had done, she wanted to hate him but she couldn't. She missed him and his touch, even though he was only caressing her hand, it felt amazing.

"You hurt your hand?" she nodded towards the cast then looked into his eyes; she could see relief, passion and anger in those deep chocolate orbs. His good hand left hers her ran around her waist and pulled her close.

He brushed his lips against hers gently "it's nothing" although the movement was minuscule, when she reciprocated the move he took the advantage and ran his tongue between her lips. A moan escaped from her mouth when the kiss deepened.

In a blink of an eye she pulled out of the kiss and put distance in between them, the look on her face pained him; it read that she hated herself for being caught up in the moment. She held out her hand to stop him from moving towards her.

"Angel… we can't" the rush of emotion had almost floored her but her brain screamed at her to remember why she had left in the first place "I love you, I do… but I can't just forget about what's happened" she saw sadness in his eyes for the first time ever.

He hit a high when she said what he had wanted to hear, that she loved him then came crashing down to earth. He didn't want to imagine his life without her, she was supposed to be an easy lay then he would toss her to the side but life's funny that way.

"Buffy" his voice came out strained, he would never have imagined that he would cry over a woman, yet here he was, standing in front of her, almost begging for forgiveness "I love you" his thumb ran over her lip and she closed her eyes.

Angel pulled her close and placed a kiss on her forehead "We can make this work… I know we can" he coaxed her into a loving kiss. He backed her up against the wall then lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him.

Buffy bit her lip as he kissed the sensitive spot on her neck "Angel!" she could feel the bulge straining against his jeans, she wanted to say no, to talk things over but he was a master at sexual manipulation, there was no way she could stop now… not that she wanted to either.

He shifted her weight and pushed her back against the wall as he kissed her hungrily; he hadn't been inside of her for a while and was feeling it. The noises she was making and the sweet smell of her skin, he gripped onto her top and pulled it over her head.

Carefully he walked them towards the previously vacated sofa and sat down so that she was straddled across his lap. Buffy wrapped her fingers through his messy hair and tugged his head back causing him to wince in pain.

They were both caught up in each other that they didn't hear the door open once again, they pulled apart heaving breathing when they heard someone clear their throat. They both looked over to Wes who was looking panicked.

"Angel, we have to talk" he looked at Buffy then tipped his head to signal that they should be alone for this but Angel shook his head, anything that had to be said should be said in front of her. She got up from his lap and went back to collect her shirt.

Wesley ran his hands over his face then placed his glasses back on "Angel, to put this politely… the shit has hit the fan" he shook his head then went for a drink to calm his shaky hands "The cops may have a link between you and the recent drug problem, there has been whispers that someone squealed… there's a warrant out for your arrest"

Buffy watched them from the door with tears in her eyes, she had tried to run away but couldn't, she tried to stop loving him but wouldn't and now it looked like he would get arrested and taken away from her for a long time.

His eyes met hers, she could see genuine fear; never would she have thought that a hard ass like him would be scared of anything but now he looked lost. He took one look at Wes and they both nodded, not filling her in on their plan.

Angel grabbed onto her hand and led them both back downstairs, closely followed by Wesley; as they entered the main area of the club all hell broke loose. A SWAT team barged their way inside, pointing guns causing the guests to flee in all directions.

Wesley grabbed Angel and pulled him in the opposite direction, he tried to grab onto Buffy's hand but let go of her when someone ran into them to avoid the cops. He yelled her name but lost sight as he was pushed into his car and Wes drove off.

Buffy had tried to run to catch up with them but the chaos inside of the club was too much, by then a SWAT member had stopped in front of her, calling her by name and that she would have to go downtown with them.

It happened so fast, Angel was out of sight and before she knew it she was getting hauled downtown. They had assured her that she wasn't being formally arrested, but they knew that she and Angel were together, so suspected that she was involved.

Buffy was led into an interrogation room where she was left alone with her thoughts. Everything came to the surface and made her cry, she was scared, she never asked for this and now she was being treated like a criminal.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the Reviews!**

* * *

Buffy cleared her throat and looked the officer straight in the eye "No, Angel… Liam did not kill that man, I was with him the entire time in New York" she let the tears fall once more then wiped at her eyes harshly "…My friend is dead and I couldn't save her"

She put her elbow on the table with her head in her hand, just thinking things over. The officer shifted in his seat "Where is he? We've put out an APB it'll be a matter of time before he's brought in… it would make it easier if you co-operated"

"I don't know, I swear! All I want is for my life to go back to normal…" she slumped back in her seat and pouted, everything seemed so messed up. Her life definitely changed since she had met him, partly good and partly bad.

The officer countered her "Miss Summers, surely once you knew who he was, you would have found out about his extracurricular activities… he's not known for being faithful, calm and being on the straight and narrow? He's much older than you"

Buffy rolled her eyes "I know he's older, when we were together he never mistreated me, he was kind and caring… the things you are telling me don't seem like they're real!" she saw the officer smirk and bit back the unease that rose up within her.

"So you're not together anymore? Why were you at his club then? Is there something you're not telling me Miss Summers?" he saw her eyes dart around the room and swell with unshed tears; he had a sneaking suspicion that she was hiding something.

Buffy wrung her hands together "I uh… I was there because we hadn't seen each other in a while, we'd had an argument about something so silly, then I heard about Darla…" she chuckled sadly "I needed him" her big doe eyes looked at him sadly.

The officer shifted in his seat again, the look in her eyes was that of a woman torn, who was truly upset with what had happened to her. He wanted to think that she was lying about something, withholding O'Connor's whereabouts but there was nothing there.

"Can I please go?" she looked at him pleadingly, she had been in here for many hours, she truthfully didn't know where Angel was, the last time she seen him was in the club so he could be many miles away by now, her heart clenched.

He nodded then let her leave, as she reached the door he turned around in the chair and smirked at her "Stay close by Miss Summers, we may have more questions for you" he saw her pause for a moment then smile wearily back at him.

"Why did you bring her in here?" the officer looked up at the chief officer and shot him a look, before he could answer he was interrupted "O'Connor would never tell some lay all his dirty secrets, no matter how long he's kept her around… we have to be careful"

The officer slammed the files on the desk "Why should we be careful? If O'Connor is who we think he is, think of the rewards that we would get by bringing down someone that powerful!"

The Chief rolled his eyes "That's all you think about is it? We should be careful because this case is on shaky ground as it is, we can't get him on everything but if one thing slips then it could break and he'd come after us for all we're worth"

"Chief? We have Mr Windham-Price coming in, ETA ten minutes" he looked to his assistant and smiled, maybe O'Connor's right hand man would be of more value than Summers'. He shot a look into the interrogation room at his subordinate then left him alone.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy had made it back to her apartment in time to run to the bathroom and throw up into the toilet, this was only the second time she had experienced morning sickness and didn't appreciate it. She sunk down to the floor and placed her head on the cold porcelain.

She hadn't been to the doctors to confirm that she was actually pregnant, but the fact that she was late and had thrown up pretty much gave away the game. She still hadn't processed the information correctly; she was numb in her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath Buffy pushed herself into a standing position then splashed water over her face and looked at her reflection, she eyes were red-rimmed from crying and her hair was matted against her head, she had played with it that much that it was now greasy.

She made her way cautiously to the door and peeped through the hole to see a perfectly polished blonde tap her foot "Hello?" the blonde raised her eyebrow at Buffy then smiled as she pushed her way inside of the apartment.

"You must be Buffy" she looked around the room then smiled at her, her long flowing hair swinging from side to side as she spoke and extended her hand out "Nice to meet you, I'm Harmony! I was sent here to pick you up doll"

Buffy frowned at her, pick her up? She wasn't leaving with her in any way, shape or form "What?" she watched as Harmony swung her hair over her shoulder then pursed her lips together. The blonde swayed her way into the bedroom and nudged the suitcase that was on the floor.

"Best get packing, we need to leave soon" she shrunk back when it looked like Buffy was ready to punch her "Whoa, calm down Buffy… I got word from Angel that he wants me to bring you to him, until you know, everything calms down"

Harmony smiled widely at her, then went to pick up a shirt that was lying on the bed but had second thoughts and placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently. Buffy remained on the spot "…Angel?"

Harmony nodded eagerly "Yeah, Angel, tall, dark and handsome? Oh I'm sorry, I guess you don't know who I am!" she chuckled "Well I work for Angel; I'm his secretary, although I've been travelling Europe for the past 18 months… he wants you with him"

Buffy didn't know whether or not to believe her, she could be a cop undercover trying to trick her out. Sensing the hesitation Harmony pulled out her phone and scrolled until she landed on the pictures; it showed her with Angel, what looked like on a beach.

They looked a little too close to comfort for her liking, Buffy squared her jaw off and glared at the other blonde. Harmony took a few steps back and raised her hands "Now, I know what you're thinking but it's not what it looks like… we're sort of illegitimate second cousins… long story"

Giving her the benefit of the doubt, Buffy started to pack, she wasn't sure how long she would be away for but that didn't matter. She wanted to see him, she didn't know why she had lied to the cops but she felt it was the right thing to do.

Walking beside Harmony she felt terrible, the other woman strut her stuff whilst looking fantastic and she was tired and greasy looking. She was ushered into the sports car and they took off, after an hour of driving she had to know "where are you taking me"

"To see Angel, silly" she kept her eyes on the road but frowned as if that wasn't obvious, Buffy sighed and folded her arms across her chest "Buffy, you'll be meeting up with Angel in Mexico and from there I don't know, he wouldn't even tell me"

Buffy nodded in defiance, she wanted to know all the details but it looked like Harmony didn't know what he had planned for her. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep as they continued their way out of California.

Oooooooooooooo

She was shunted awake when the car came to sudden halt; Buffy braced herself by pushing against the dashboard of the car and sent glares towards the driver "Whoopsy!" Harmony just smiled as if nothing had happened then got out of the car.

Buffy climbed out of the car and grabbed her case out of the trunk, she could feel heat in the air although the sun was setting and smell the ocean, it looked beautiful here. Harmony escorted her up the stairs of the Villa and towards one of the superior rooms.

"Blondie-bear!" she strut into the room, swinging her hips from side to side and jumped on Spike, wrapping her legs around his waist to kiss him. Buffy remained at the door feeling awkward by the encounter then heard her name called.

Angel came into the room dressed only with a towel wrapped around his waist; his abs glistened from the droplets of water that were trickling down him. He strode over to her and pulled her into a furious kiss and his good hand tugged at her hair.

"Buff, I've missed you" he kissed her softly then pulled her in the direction of the bedroom, although it was only yesterday that they had last seen each other it felt much longer. He ran his knuckle over the side of her cheek and smiled widely.

Buffy smiled back at him but then felt a rush of emotion and began to cry, he pulled her close to shush her; her hands pawed at his chest, clinging onto him for dear life "Angel, I was so scared" he wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"What happened lover?" he could see her frown at the nickname so he kissed her nose lightly; he walked them back towards the bed and pulled her down on top of him. She calmed down her breathing and nuzzled her head against his chest.

Buffy ran her finger tip down his stomach unconsciously "I got took in and questioned about you Liam" she sat back at raised her eyebrow at him "they questioned me about us, about the drugs and about the man that was found dead in New York"

Angel's face went hard, it was common knowledge that they were dating, they were seen enough by the social media who were intent on following his every move. He didn't expect them to question her in depth; fear worked its way through them; what if she would bring them here?

Although he was across the borders, he still didn't want them to come after him, he needed time for this all to blow over; Wes was currently working on bringing his name off of everything that they wanted to haul him in for.

Buffy could sense the dread as he tensed beside her, she palmed his cheek "Angel, I told them that we never apart in New York, so it wasn't possible for you to be behind that murder, it was just unfortunate that he was last seen in your club"

He just stared at her to gauge her honesty, although they were on their way to talking about their situation before he ran, they were still in a grey area of their relationship. What if she didn't want to see him and was lying?

She pressed her lips to his and ran her tongue along his bottom lip then sat back to look at him "Angel, I would never say anything that could be held against you" she smiled at him as he ran his hand up and down her back.

She'd come to realise that she loved him, no matter what horrific things he had done she couldn't bring herself to hate him or to get away from him. He made her feel loved, he protected her and made her happy – no matter how dark and twisted things were; he was her light.

Buffy straddled him and gyrated upon his hips, driving him wild. His hands pulled her top off swiftly as his mouth trailed wet kisses along her collarbone "Buff" he murmured against her skin as she rubbed herself over his erection.

Angel pulled off her bra then yanked her jeans and panties down her hips when she lifted herself up from him, his hands went to her breasts to massage them as he nipped at her neck. She arched her back and let out a moan as he caught her nipple in his mouth.

Frustrated she yanked the towel loose and slid down his body to engulf his length deep in her mouth; he lay back on the bed and palmed the back of her head, keeping her where she was. Angel winced when she dug her nails dangerously close to his groin and let her go.

The look in her eyes was one that thrilled him; she looked like a predator that had just found its prey. Buffy scratched down his chest, deep enough to draw some blood then yelped when he smacked her ass disapprovingly.

He slipped two of his fingers inside her with ease, pumping his fingers inside of her to drive her wild. Buffy bit her lip to stifle a moan but let out a choked breath as he yanked her on top of him to bury him deep inside of her.

Angel had a tight grip on her hips, controlling the pace; she rode him furiously until she screamed through her orgasm. When she sagged on top of him he rolled them over and put her legs on top of his shoulders to continue the hard thrusts from a few moments before.

Buffy winced; she was highly sensitive from her release but didn't dare tell him to stop as she could feel a second orgasm build up inside of her. Angel raised himself onto his haunches to thrust in even deeper as he took her in a passionate kiss.

He waited until she writhed beneath him and yelled out through intense pleasure before he let himself come, shooting his seed inside of her. Angel grunted as he pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, he looked over to see her sated smile.

She looked beautiful, her skin was flushed and her swollen lips gaped open, still riding the high from his expertise. He pushed his fingers through his sticky hair causing it to stand on its ends; Buffy rolled over and nuzzled against his side before falling asleep.

Angel tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear as she slept, he was never sentimental before but now he loved to just watch her sleep in his arms, he knew that she had changed him, possibly for the better. He remained watching her until his eyes became heavy then settled himself to fall asleep.

When he awoke that morning he frowned at the sound of her throwing up in the bathroom, still naked, he made his way into the bathroom and looked at her in concern "Everything okay?" he ran his hand between her shoulder blades soothingly.

Buffy jerked out of his touch, she was never comfortable with having someone with her when she threw up. Once she knew her stomach was empty, she sat back against the wall of the bathroom and looked at him nervously "…We have to talk"


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews!**

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Buffy slid carefully off of the stool to stand on her feet, her mom hurried round to her to help her although she didn't need it "Watch dear, you have to be careful" Joyce gave her a knowing smile before clearing the way passed the kitchen counter.

She ran her hand lovingly across her round belly to feel her baby kick excitedly "Mom!" Joyce pulled her over mitt off and ran over to her quickly to feel the baby as well. This wasn't the first time that the peanut had kicked but it still didn't cease to amaze her.

Joyce giggled at the feeling then headed back to the oven to bring out the cookies she had just baked. Buffy bit her lip then headed towards the living-room and sat down on the sofa doing her best to get comfortable.

Flicking through the TV channels brought her on to the Twelve O'clock News; it was running highlights from the trial of Spike and her Angel. When she had told him that she was pregnant and they had it officially confirmed he had changed his mind on running.

She done her best to convince him that his place was out in the open with her and their child but he was adamant. He told her it was better this way; that they would have a chance at a normal life – if he ran then they wouldn't be able to create a life for the baby.

Wesley was still working on the case to get him off with a lesser charge or no jail time at all but he was taken in and for the past seven months it was a continuous battle.

The News reported that there would be another trial to see whether or not Angel would be set free, he had pleaded not guilty to any charges brought against him and said that it was a cruel ploy to ruin his life; he even used the baby card which had pissed her off.

Since he had been incarcerated she had saw him twice, it was before her belly gave away her signs of pregnancy; she didn't feel comfortable entering jail in this condition. He had written her letters as he wasn't allowed to call her, to which she hadn't replied.

She didn't know why she couldn't reply but she wanted to, she was surprised by him accepting her pregnancy and making plans for their future; in all honesty she thought that he would have freaked and bailed on her.

The news reports on their trials was something she avoided, she knew this time it was to bring forward evidence that would clear Angel of all charges and meant that he would get out. This made her feel uncomfortable, if she came face to face with him, how could she explain herself?

Joyce came back into the living-room and held the plate of cookies out towards her daughter, urging her to take one. Buffy plucked a cookie from the plate then nibbled at it carefully, she squinted at the door as her mother went over and opened it.

Wesley breezed into the apartment with a smile on his face "My, my Buffy, you're looking radiant today!" he placed a bagged lunch in front of her then beamed at Joyce "And Joyce, you too are looking wonderful!"

Joyce blushed at him then ran to the kitchen to get him a drink; he sat on the sofa across from Buffy and sighed "Angel has asked about you again… I understand why you don't want to go down there, but he's upset and would like to see you"

Buffy looked at her hands shamefully, he had said more than once over the past couple of months that Angel had pleaded with her, that he missed her and even said that he wanted to feel his child move around inside her.

Before she could say anything more he smiled again "Things are going well… I don't want to give you too much hope but I think the charges will be dropped, there's not a lot of evidence against him… they're even using your interrogation video because of your _condition_"

He placed his hand over hers that rested on her belly and felt the baby kick, although he wasn't related to Angel, they considered each other family; which meant that their child would be family to him to "Baby's strong"

Buffy bit her lip; her heart fluttered whenever someone mentioned the life growing inside of her "Yeah…" her highly strung emotions got the better of her and tears welled up in her eyes "Takes after Angel, he's strong, so strong… being locked up and away from me, from us"

She shook her head then chuckled, Wes ran his hand in soothing circles over her belly to calm her down "Buffy he's always been strong but the only thing that's keeping him sane is when he gets out and gets to be with you and the baby"

Wesley patted her hand then stood up "Eat your lunch Miss Summers… I've got court to attend" he smiled widely at her one last time then left the apartment. Joyce came over and sat beside her daughter pulling her into a hug.

Buffy rested her head on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes, if Wes was telling the truth then most likely by that afternoon her love would be a free man, able to come home to their family. Almost as if sensing her thoughts, the baby kicked her again.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel stood in silence beside his lawyer, the Judge had ruled that he was unfairly arrested and that this was an elaborate set up to destroy his life that he worked hard at building. Giles patted him on the shoulder and grinned in triumph.

Relief flooded through his body, Giles approached the bench and made a plea that Angel should be fairly compensated for the hell he had been through in the past seven months. The judge agreed that a settlement would have to follow.

The cuffs were taken off of him and he rubbed his wrists, all he wanted now was to run home and see Buffy, unfortunately he would have to stick around for a while to plead the martyr on television so that his settlement would be larger.

Giles was a fantastic lawyer, despite being actually guilty of drug trafficking _and _murder; he was now a free man. The elder man deserved a raise and a big one at that. They made their way outside the courthouse and answered some questions in front of the cameras before heading away.

He entered his club that thankfully Wes had taken under his wing and made sure that it hadn't gone under, and headed towards his apartment upstairs. Wesley greeted him inside with some champagne and clapped his hands "Welcome home!"

Angel shook Wes's hand but refused the champagne, opting for water instead. Giles accepted the alcohol and sunk the glass in seconds "Well, now that you're a free man Angel, what are you planning on doing?"

He knew exactly what he wanted to do, that's why he turned down the alcohol. It had never bothered him before to have a couple then get behind the wheel, but now, if he had to take Buffy anywhere then he wouldn't risk it.

Wesley smiled kindly at him "I saw her today, she's looking well… I think the little one will be here in a matter of weeks!" the look of love that came over Angel's face made him swell with pride; it seemed his friend was truly growing up.

Before Angel could respond Wes grabbed his phone and answered the call that had came through, his brows marred as he listened intently. Angel saw his face fall then his worried eyes landed on him, his pulse increased in fear "Its Buffy"

The three of them raced downstairs and got into Angel's sports car, he kept his foot on the accelerator, making sure that he passed through all amber lights and sat above the speed limit as they made their way to the hospital.

The car came to a screeching halt and he ran inside, not caring that he was blocking the entrance. He spoke to the receptionist who told him that Buffy already assigned to a room and was with a Doctor who was examining her.

Oooooooooooooo

Not long after Wesley left her the pain at the base of her abdomen began to worsen, she had read up on Haxton-Bricks contractions and put it down to them. Once the pain became unbearable she yelled on her mother who then called 911.

The ambulance arrived within record time and placed her carefully in the back, panic rose within her as she came closer to the hospital, there was still a couple of weeks till her due date, she hated to think that something was wrong.

The doctor came into the room and began his examination of her, his hands felt cold against her skin then the midwife brought the ultrasound machine in so that they could check on the baby. When he ran the wand over her belly and his face scrunched up she panicked.

"What's wrong, what's wrong with my baby?" another jolt of pain burst through her as if it was tearing her insides apart, she choked back a sob and looked at him pleadingly "Tell me!"

He looked at the screen then returned his hands to her belly and pressed down on her skin "Well it looks like you're in labour Miss Summers…" he chuckled at the shocked expression on her face then continued "Baby doesn't want to make this easy for you, it's in an unfortunate position"

Buffy's eyes widened in shock, how could she be in labour? Wasn't her waters meant to break first? As far as she could remember that hadn't happened. She ground her teeth together as another pain shot through her.

Angel burst into the room to see Buffy writhing in agony, his stomach hut the ground, all he wanted was to take the pain away from her "Buffy!" her eyes were scrunched shut but upon hearing his voice she looked at him then began to cry.

"Angel?" he made his way over to her and kissed her damp forehead "Angel it hurts" she bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain. Angel gaped at her belly in pride, he hadn't seen her like this, he'd been shown sonograms but this was amazing.

Inside of her was his child, that appeared to have a patience issue and wanted to arrive early "It's okay Buffy, I'm here… I'm here now" he ran his fingertips over her cheek then pressed a gentle, reassuring kiss against her lips.

The doctor had been timing her contractions and frowned "Now kids, baby is definitely on its way… we thought there would be time to turn the kid around but there's not" he looked at the worried faced and smiled politely.

"It's nothing to worry about, just means that instead of a natural birth, we're going to have to take you down to surgery and perform an emergency caesarean" when Buffy sobbed and shook her head he sighed, this wasn't the time to be difficult.

"I'm sorry Buffy but if we delay then it may harm your child… you don't want that do you?" Buffy shook her head again then gripped Angels hand tight, tight enough to cause him to wince then shrug at the doctor.

He smiled at the couple then glanced at his watch "Right, we have to move now and not before long you will be parents" he tipped his head at the nurses as they prepared to move Buffy down to surgery. Angel followed them hesitantly; unsure of what would happen now.

One of the nurses held back and patted him on the back "There are scrubs through there, wash up your hands and you can join your wife in the delivery room" before he could tell her that they weren't married she made her way into another room.

Doing as he was told Angel pulled on those horrible blue scrubs and washed his hands and forearms carefully; taking a deep breath he pushed the door open to the delivery room and stood beside Buffy.

She looked so small and terrified lying on the table; he wanted nothing more than for everything to be okay. He didn't pay much attention to the doctor as he talked through what he would do as he focused all his attention on Buffy's beautiful face.

The heart rate monitor bleeped continuously at a steady pace as the doctors made preparations for the birth of their child but not long into the procedure the beating became erratic, he saw her eyes flicker unsteadily then the doctors raise their voices.

Before he knew what was happening he was escorted out of the room and not even allowed to look inside, he tried to yell at them to let him back in but another doctor had blocked the entrance. The pale look on her face and the worry from the doctors made him want to throw up.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the Reviews!**

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Angel sat outside of the delivery room in a state of shock; he had a feeling things weren't going to plan. The baby was arriving far earlier than expected and the doctors didn't look like they were happy with how the birth was panning out.

As he sat in silence he took time to think things over, he was now a free man and due a lot of compensation. Although he didn't actually need that money, he would put forward for his child's future and treat Buffy to something special.

He ran his hands through his hair in worry, he had almost lost her, got her back then ended up in jail for seven months- that was his choice right enough but now he got her back and it seemed like he may be losing her all over again.

All of his life he had been taught not to show emotion, stand tall and proud and do whatever the hell he wanted without thinking of the repercussions; his father had taught him that; for all intents and purposes his father was a cold hearted bastard.

Right now he was on the verge of crying, that was something he hated; he was used to being in control and right now he felt completely helpless. She was the only thing in his life that had gone right, if he lost her then it would fall apart.

He slumped back into the hard plastic seat and just looked at his hands, he didn't like not knowing what was going on, he wanted to storm in and see but he knew that he would most likely distract the doctor and that was something he wanted to avoid.

The doctor finally stepped out of the delivery room and cleared his throat "Along with the baby being in a difficult position, it showed up only today that Buffy was having a bad Placental Abruption, which meant that the placenta was coming away from her uterine wall…"

Angel glared at him to continue "The delivery got a bit complicated; Buffy had to have a blood transfusion but we delivered your baby girl safe and sound… she'll have to spend time in the NICU till she's better… and Buffy she'll be heading to the ICU"

The doctor patted him on the shoulder when he saw Angel choke up with emotion "You can go back in and see her before we move her" he didn't get a word in before Angel had stormed back into the room, Buffy was struggling to stay awake.

"Hey beautiful, you done good" she smiled weakly at him and he kissed her lovingly, a nurse came over to him and showed him the way to his baby, he looked down at the little girl inside of the incubator and bit his lip.

She was so tiny and helpless inside of that, all he wanted was to hold her against his chest and for Buffy to hold her as well "She's a little on the small side, she'll remain in the NICU until she's a bit healthier" the nurse placed her hand on his forearm before taking the baby away.

Buffy murmured something that he didn't understand, her arm flailed around carelessly and he chuckled, she was still under anaesthesia or was incredibly tired; either way she looked amazing for just giving birth.

The doctor asked him to step outside then told him where Buffy would be escorted to. Angel made his way out to the waiting room to see her mom and his friends, they could all tell something was up; he was elated but looked upset.

Angel wrung his hands together then looked at the three of them "Delivery didn't go so well… Buff's going to be in the ICU and our baby girl will be in the NICU" he bit his lip thinking of his child, he couldn't believe that he was now a father.

"Is she going to be okay?!" Joyce held onto Wes for comfort but sounded upset; he ran his hand up and down her back soothingly. She let out a sob and placed her head on his chest, gratefully that Buffy, although not out of the woods, was doing well.

Angel went with Joyce down to where Buffy had been moved to and entered the room; she was lying in contented silence "Hi honey" Joyce went over to her daughter and placed her hand on her carefully.

Buffy smiled at her mother and whispered hi, she looked happy although it was obvious she was exceedingly tired. Joyce came up on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek then left the pair of them alone.

He looked down at Buffy and kissed her forehead, she yawned loudly "I'm tired" her eyes fluttered shut so Angel ran his thumb over her lip "Go to sleep, baby" he kissed her again and then left her to rest in silence and headed towards the NICU to see his daughter.

Oooooooooooooo

Although he had fought with the hospital staff, he eventually gave up and left when they threatened him with security; just being released from jail he didn't want to chance ending anywhere near it again.

They had said that he should go home and come back in the morning when visiting hours were; Buffy needed to rest and had to think of her health. Reluctantly he headed back home, Angel picked up the glass of whiskey that Wes handed him and sighed.

"Congratulations once again, Angel" Wes patted him on the shoulder then took a swig of his own whiskey, he had drove Angel back to the old apartment above Vampyrr that hadn't been used since that night so long ago.

A grin spread over his face when he pictured his baby girl in his mind, he couldn't believe that he was now a father; something that even just over a year ago he would have hated or even denied. His life certainly had changed since he met his love.

Just before the shit had hit the fan he had decided that he was going to try and get out of the drugs trade and make his money from something more legal and upstanding, once he was jailed he was determined but couldn't take action straight away.

Angel sat back in the recliner as he slammed his boots on the solid oak of the table he used in his office in the apartment, he sunk into the chair and sighed "I want to thank you for everything that you've done in the past seven months…"

He was never good at genuine emotion with people other than Buffy, he kept his eyes on his hands as he spoke "I know if it wasn't for you then I'd be done with everything that they charged me with, I couldn't face being locked away knowing that Buffy was here, having to raise our child alone"

Wes cleared his throat to interrupt but Angels eyes shot to his "You truly are a good friend" he felt a rush of embarrassment at how open he was being, when he was a child he was brought up to have a heart of stone and never to let people see who you really are.

"I'll always be your friend, no matter what happens and I'll always look out for you cause god knows you won't do that for yourself" he laughed heartily then finished off his whiskey "I must say after the struggle I had to clear your name I do hope that you have reconsidered your ventures"

Angel nodded, then Wes continued "Good, I've gone deep into the records and sanitised it all, the only projects attached to your name are the clubs, housing and that quaint little diner that you purchased when you were on a binge"

He smiled at the memory of when him and some associates were under the influence and came across a diner in Louisiana with the best pie he'd ever tasted. That was something he had completely forgotten about.

"I'm going to do it right, I want Buffy to be proud of me and make sure that my baby is set for life" he broke out into another wider grin and scratched his chin, as he felt the prickles of hair he scrunched up his nose, completely forgetting that he hadn't shaved in a while.

He got off of the chair and made his way to the bathroom "Best get some sleep Angel, it'll be a rarity once you bring the baby home" Angel turned back to his friend and nodded, he couldn't wait to get to sleep so that when he wakes up he'd see his two girls.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the Reviews, here is the penultimate chapter!**

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"How you feelin?"

Buffy turned slowly to look at Angel who was leaning against the door, once again his face was that of stone, showing nothing but calm. She took a deep breath then smiled lightly "I'm okay…"

He walked over to her then kissed the top of her head, she ran her tongue over her bottom lip to alleviate how dry she had become. This was the first time she had a chance to properly look at him in months – the day before didn't count on account of the emergency birth.

After what felt like hours Angel gave her a warm smile and cupped her face gently with the palm of his hand "I was so worried about you" she opened her lips by a fraction, allowing him to sweep his tongue inside to massage hers.

"Angel" she rest her forehead against his and kept her eyes closed, her heartbeat ran rapid; telling her how much she had missed him and his kisses "I missed you" she kissed him once again then laid back on the bed, feeling weak momentarily.

He sat on the seat beside the bed and took her hand in between his; he brought it to his mouth and kissed the top of her hand "Time did you wake?" he felt his heart clench when she said that she had been awake for a couple of hours; he wanted to be there when she got up.

"Don't worry, the doctors had to do some checks… you wouldn't have been able to stay" she raised her eyebrow at him when he shrugged casually and looked away; the original look on his face gave away what he was thinking.

Angel rolled his eyes then smiled at her "Have you seen the baby today?" the smile that came across her face made his smile wider, the look of love on her beautiful face made his heart swell.

"The nurse said I could go down and see her but I need an escort…" he immediately got out of the seat to fetch the wheelchair that was folded up in the corner of the room, he heard her groan in annoyance but he only chuckled.

Carefully he scooped her out of the bed with ease and placed her in the chair then covered her legs with a blanket to keep her comfortable. They turned to face the door when a nurse cleared her throat in question "What are you doing?"

Angel stood tall and gave her his worst scowl, seeing that she wasn't deterred by it in any way he gave her a quick smile "We're going to see our baby" Buffy smiled at the nurse apologetically due to the sharp tone he took.

The nurse stood out of the way when he pushed her away from the room, Buffy craned her neck so that she could see his face "Angel… I want to apologise" she looked back down to her hands when he stopped in his tracks.

He came round to face her and kneeled down, he tipped her jaw up so he could look into her eyes; he knew where this was coming from, although he was a bit miffed he had never seen her when he was away he truly understood "You have nothing to be sorry for"

Buffy took a deep breath "I did write letters for you… I just couldn't bring myself to send them, I didn't want to go down there for you to take one look at me and hate the fact that everything was my fault" her eyes glazed over as she recounted the times she paused then put the letter back in her purse.

She looked him dead in the eyes "If you never met me then you wouldn't have spent all that time locked up, not being able to be in your own bed or even just a walk to the store…"

Angel frowned, she misread that as him realising how true it was and started to shake "Buffy, if I had never met you, I would probably have ended up in there anyway… I might not even be as lucky as I am now, I could even be dead"

Her eyes widened and her bottom lip quivered "Angel!" she began to ramble on so he silenced her with a kiss "All that matters is that we're together and our baby is here" he kissed the tip of her nose and squeezed her hand.

"I love you" she smiled sweetly at him as she weakly pulled him by the collar to give him another kiss. Angel smirked as he stood, knowing that he had calmed her fears he then pushed her towards the Intensive Care Unit that their baby was in.

The nurse that was checking over the stats smiled brightly at the couple "Here to see baby Summers'?"

Buffy looked to Angel to see hurt flash over his face for a second then the walls came up showing no emotion, she shook her head "We are, but its Baby O'Connor…" she looked back at Angel to see him smile "We haven't really discussed a name yet"

The nurse rubbed her arm at that gaffe and smiled warily, all the nurses knew that Buffy had something to do with him, it was all over the news after all; with yesterday being the day he was freed the news showed nothing else.

"Sorry, I'm not sure who wrote this out, I'll have it changed immediately!" she plucked the chart from beside the incubator and took it with her into the office beside the room that they were in.

Angel rolled her closer to the baby so that she was in arms reach; he kissed the top of her head and smiled at the little girl who was asleep "She looks just like you, so beautiful" Buffy shook her head in disagreement.

"No, she looks like you" she looked up to smile at him, both challenging each other silently. When they heard the baby gurgle their heads whipped round to the incubator and smiled, she opened her little eyes and wiggled her fingers.

"Mommy and Daddy are here" she ran her finger down the side of the plastic and felt her heart tug; she wanted nothing more than to hold her against her chest and not have a barrier between them.

The nurse came back in after giving them some alone time, she placed the updated chart back in its pocket and smiled at the parents "Although she is a little small, her vitals are good… we'll keep an eye on her for the next couple of days to determine when she can get home"

Buffy looked sadly up at Angel then back at the nurse, she knew that she would have to remain in the hospital longer than usual but didn't want to be away from the baby. The nurse could see the hurt so she cleared her throat "We want to make sure she is healthy before going home"

Angel nodded "Yeah, we understand" he looked down to Buffy to see that adorable bottom lip jutting out, he rubbed her shoulders soothingly "Thanks" the nurse nodded then left them alone again.

They spent some time with the baby before Buffy started to nod off, still feeling the effects from yesterday. Angel took her back to her room and placed her gently on the bed; she pleaded with him to stay with her so he climbed carefully on the bed and held her against his chest.

A while later Wesley pushed open the door to Buffy's room carefully; he had tried to get into contact with Angel for the past hour without any luck but he knew where he would most likely be. He looked over to the pair who were both asleep and smiled.

For the first time in a very long time Angel looked content, he didn't look weary or stressed but almost angelic in a way; glowing with pride even in his sleep. He turned back to the door to leave, he gave his friend one last smile before leaving them to sleep peacefully.

Oooooooooooooo

Under strict orders Buffy had been told not to rush, not to exert herself and just to relax as much as she could, she was allowed out after three days but unfortunately the baby had to remain in for another two days just to be sure.

Angel wheeled her out to the SUV, as he tried to scoop her up in his arms she swatted him away and glared "Angel, I'm a little sore not an invalid" he raised his eyebrow at her and proceeded to pick her up anyway and place her in the passenger side.

He pulled the belt across and clipped her securely in, she watched his every movement then smiled when he leaned over to kiss her. She watched the passing scenery with interest, he had bypassed the road that took her to her apartment then drove by the one for his own.

"Angel, where are we going?" he gave her a sly grin but didn't reply, he drove for another five minutes then cleared his throat "One thing I wanted, whether or not I would be free was for you and the baby to be looked after…"

He glanced from the corner of his eye then looked back to the road "Now that I am here, I'm hoping that you'll be happy" she frowned at his words, she was used to him being cryptic guy but now he was outdoing all the previous times.

The pulled into an estate of houses with sprawling green land on the outskirts of LA, her mouth opened in awe at the size of the properties. They came up to a driveway guarded by a tall iron fence; Angel clicked a fob to open the gates.

She looked round to him in wonder, he stopped the SUV then finally faced her "This is your home Buffy… our home" he spun the keys on his finger and smiled kindly. Buffy ran her hand over her face, feeling overwhelmed.

"Wow… how, when?" he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and kissed her gently "Wes done the legwork I then narrowed them down, I hope you like it…" he got out of the car then scooped her in his arms once again as she giggled.

He walked them up to the front door then let her stand on her feet; he ran his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. They looked briefly around the lavish interior of the ground floor before heading up the grand staircase.

Angel looked almost giddy, it was something she had never seen from him before; he showed her their bedroom which was extravagant, the four-poster bed looked hand carved in detail, just like his own place the sheets were a rich mahogany.

He pulled her flush against his chest and crushed his lips against hers, he kept his grip light on her so not to disturb the wounds from the operation but just enough to make her feel secure "There's one room I've still to show you"

Buffy nodded in reply, still taken aback by the intensity of the kiss, he pulled her down the hall and held her hand "I know you've done well at you're apartment, Wes has been keeping me in the loop… so I stole a few ideas"

He pushed open the door to the nursery and took a step inside, her mouth fell back open as she looked around at all the furniture, the decorations and the gorgeous cradle in the corner of the room; it was how she had always wanted a nursery to look.

"How?" she looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes, he was always full of surprises but this topped everything; this was a lovely gesture. Angel half shrugged as he looked around the room "Nothing would stop me from making you happy"

Buffy stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss "Thank you, it is beautiful" he wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eye then kissed her again. She placed her head against his chest and closed her eyes, feeling content in his arms.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for all of the reviews! ...here is the final chapter.**

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"Hey Buff, What do you say about travelling Europe for a couple of month?" Angel was lying on his stomach in front of the fire, flipping through travel brochures, when he heard Buffy come into the room he rolled onto his side and smirked.

Buffy quirked her eyebrow at him "I'm sorry, I didn't realise we were nineteen!" she looked down to her baby girl who was sitting on her hip and adjusted her into a more comfortable position "Besides, I don't think long term travel with a two year old is a good idea"

The look he was giving her was the same as always, that smug I get what I want look; she shook her head and smirked back at him. Angel sat up and extended his arms out to his daughter "Huh Charlotte, what do you say? Europe, huh?"

Charlotte clenched her fists at him, so Buffy let her down to the ground so she could walk over to Angel "Yeah!" she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and giggled when he tickled her tummy "Stop! Daddy" she shook her head excitedly as she giggled more.

Buffy smiled down at the pair, her heart melted, each time he acted like a big marshmallow made her love him even more – it was a complete 180 from the hard-ass she had first met, the one who was arrogant and who showed little emotion.

Anyone who had only met him in the past two years wouldn't believe how he acted before, he _was_ the same person, he was still arrogant and hard faced when it came to work; he was a ruthless bastard but not at home.

"Come on Mommy" he looked to his daughter then to Buffy so that she would join in on cheering her on. Charlotte grinned "Yeah Mommy!" it was clear that Charlotte was a daddy's girl, anything he wanted she would side with him, he did treat her like a princess after all.

She put her hands on her hips and playfully scowled at the pair; Angel smiled at Charlotte then looked up at Buffy like he was truly an angel. Charlotte batted her eyelashes at her mom then kissed her dads cheek, looking like his tiny double.

"I think its bedtime young lady" Charlotte wrapped her arms round her father and put her face in his neck "NO" she was young but she was wise to the fact that Angel would let her away with more than Buffy would, she had him wrapped around her little finger.

Angel got a pointed look from Buffy, she knew that he let her do what she wanted and needed back up; he stood up carefully allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist "Come on Charlie, Bed time" she mumbled no again.

They walked up to her bedroom and placed her in the cot, well, Angel tried to but for being so tiny she had a strong grip "Come on, its bed time… if you go to sleep I'll take you for ice cream tomorrow" immediately she let go of him and snuggled into her duvet.

"Goodnight baby girl" he kissed the top of her head then smiled down at her, Buffy did the same then quietly they headed down to the master suite. As soon as the door was shut Angel pulled Buffy to his chest and pushed her against the door "How about it huh?"

To sway her in his direction he nipped at her lips before trailing kisses down her neck, Buffy closed her eyes and stifled back a moan "What about work?"

Angel twined his fingers with hers and walked backwards till he reached the bed and pulled her down on top of him "Work can wait" he pulled her top over her head and ran his finger tips over her spine causing her skin to tingle.

"Maybe for you…" he pulled her down to kiss her then smiled "Buff, you're the boss, I'm sure they can manage without you for a while" she pursed her lips together in thought, that was true, she was the boss – once she was ready to go back to work Angel made her a deal.

He had offered her a job as the boss of his property market; he had gained a lot more houses and wanted someone to look after it properly. At first she had declined, she didn't have a degree relating to it and didn't want to look like the spoiled girlfriend of the big boss.

Angel had convinced her that it meant they would work together, could travel together without her sitting around and doing nothing – which she hated too. Since accepting the post she had done well and was respected, and loved when he took a backseat in the boardroom.

"It does sound good" she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his pulse before licking it daintily, Angel groaned and raised his hips as she continued to kiss and lick her way down his neck. Buffy sat back and pulled his shirt off "When were you thinking?"

He leaned up on his elbows and tilted his head, he had no idea, truthfully it was only idea, he wasn't sure if she would even go for it "How about the end of the week? Gives us a few days to get things sorted huh?"

Buffy placed her palms on top of his chest and ran her thumb over his nipple "Why the rush?" his hands slid up her arms then palmed the back of her head as he pulled her into a kiss, she knew he was trying to avoid answering the question.

Angel pulled back a few millimetres to murmur against her lips "No rush, I just thought it would be nice to get away and spend some time as a family, just the three of us" he kissed her languidly in hopes that she would give up the questioning, thankfully she did.

Oooooooooooooo

Milan, Barcelona, Paris, the list was endless; the three of them packed up and spent a week in each location touring the sites. Angel had been to a few of these places before, usually high as a kite with his former entourage; this time the trips were even better.

Anything they couldn't carry with them he had shipped back home to the states, allowing Buffy to shop as much as she wanted and of course he bought everything that his little girl wanted. All in all it was the best idea he had come up with in a while.

They were currently in Galway, at his childhood home; over the years he had paid a cleaner to come in and make sure the place was tidy and wouldn't become uninhabitable. It was bittersweet coming back here, he had some fond memories of when he was a child on the other hand his childhood wasn't ideal.

His mother was buried here, this was where she originally came from; she had passed away when he was six, after that he was solely looked after by his nanny as his father was constantly working. He hadn't been here in almost twenty year.

His father has passed away before his 21st birthday and that's all she knew, he never spoke of him, she didn't even know where he was buried. All that Angel had said that his father was buried and any feelings towards him were buried as well.

Buffy came up behind him and took his hand in hers, she knew about how much his mother meant to him; how it pained him that she was taken away so young and that he missed out on having her in his life for so long.

Angel leaned against her and smiled, it brought him some peace that he had eventually come back, especially with his own family with him. They looked to the sky as the clouds turned grey and a light spit of rain came from the sky.

They jogged back to the mansion in just enough time before the heavens opened up and poured down heavily. Buffy chuckled and came close to him for a kiss "Charlie is asleep" it had taken her over an hour to put her down.

Angel pulled her close and kissed the tip of her nose "Good" he pulled her into the grand living room and onto the pile of blankets and cushions; he rolled her underneath him as he kissed her "Buff, I just want to say I love you"

She ran her fingers through his hair "I love you too" he kissed her quickly before rolling onto his side, he produced a champagne magnum and looked at her in faux shock "What's this for?" he poured them both a generous amount and handed a flute to her.

"I know it's not our official anniversary for another couple of weeks but it is the anniversary of our first date… corny I know, but thinking back about how I was a self destructive, arrogant asshole, I wanted to thank you, changed me for the better"

He shifted nervously then pulled something out his pocket, he twirled the ring in between his fingers, he was never the overly romantic kind and hoped that she didn't mind "So?" he held the ring in between his middle finger and forefinger and smiled.

Her mouth fell open in shock, she had never imagined she would get a marriage out of him; sure he loved her, he constantly told her so but walking down the aisle? She blinked away the dampness from her eyes and nodded "Of course"

He bridged the gap to slide the dainty but extravagant ring on her finger and kissed her deeply. Angel let out a sigh of relief and sat back, the look of love on her face and the fact that she agreed made him so happy.

Buffy shuffled closer to him, he clinked his glass off of hers then took a sip. She looked down at the flute and swirled the sparkling liquid in the glass, sure they had jumped in at the deep end, they'd had some troubles but it was obvious they were meant to be.

She leaned over and kissed him in lieu of taking a drink "I uh, I can't drink..." she sat back and raised her eyebrow at him "…I'm late" his smile fell off his face as his mouth opened in shock, Buffy nodded and chuckled "Yeah, you're going to be a daddy again"

Angel pulled the flute away from her hand and sat it on the floor out of the way then pulled her astride his lap, he didn't say anything to her all he done was trace the delicate features of her face with his fingertips and smiled.

Buffy closed her eyes then wrapped her arms around his neck, grinding against him "Angel" he turned his head just enough to plant his mouth on hers. Slowly they undressed each other then fell back against the cushions.

He took his time and worshipped her body, his tongue laved the scar on her stomach from when Charlotte was born then kissed her warm skin. He wasn't there the last time she had gone through pregnancy and was giddy that he would this time.

The amber glow from the fire was the only thing that lit the room, casting a loving glow over her body. She pulled him down so she could kiss him deeply then widened her legs as he lay in between them, he held her gaze as he entered her.

Her big green eyes were full of love, his chest tightened as he stared into them, he loved her more than he thought he could ever love someone and by luck she loved him back and allowed him to be a part of her life and father her children.

They had come to an agreement that they would never mention what had happened before he had been incarcerated, whether it was smart or not they didn't care. She had told him that they were starting a fresh and she loved him regardless.

If she was asked now if she knew Liam O'Connor she would say yes, she knew him inside and out, from his quirks with his cereal down to the extra sensitive spot on his left thigh just below his hip; the bad and the good were one, he was the dark prince who made the light more bearable.


End file.
